


Ride or Die

by OneMoreNight1996



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Angst, Drugs, F/M, Jughead Jones is soft for Betty Cooper, Southside Serpent Betty Cooper, Southside Serpent Leader Jughead Jones, Violence, they're an actual gang in this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-28
Updated: 2019-05-13
Packaged: 2019-12-25 18:38:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 21
Words: 32,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18267131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OneMoreNight1996/pseuds/OneMoreNight1996
Summary: In a world where the Southside Serpents are an actual gang that carries guns and deals drugs, Jughead Jones leads a ruthless bunch of outlaws with Betty by his side. There is one thing you learn quick when dealing with the Serpents, you never threaten the queen unless you are looking for a quick death.





	1. Chapter 1

Betty Cooper found herself walking through the compound in the middle of the night, Jughead had called an immediate meeting and everyone knew not to miss it. She desperately wanted to be in bed but she knew he wouldn't have called a meeting now if it wasn't important so she made her way to the meeting room as quickly as she could. She ran into Veronica on the way and they entered the room together, everyone seemed crammed into the space so Betty left Veronica by Archie's side and joined Jughead at the front of the room. He glanced around to make sure everyone was there before he pulled a map up on the wall.

"Everyone know that we've been having problems with the Gargoyles recently but tonight they've ramped up the violence." He turned and pointed at a spot on the map. "Sweet Pea was patrolling here, which is our territory, and one of the gargoyles shot him." 

Everyone started whispering to each other and it sounded like an angry snake hissing which fit this group of people particularly well. Archie stood and raised his voice above the whispers. "Is Sweet Pea dead?"

"No, Fangs was with him and got him to the hospital but we can't stand for this. They came into our territory and shot one of our men, we are going to have to retaliate and hit them where it hurts. I'm done with being nice, we need to take out their leader. If we take out the leader the operation will fall and the gargoyles will scatter." Jughead said and the others cheered.

"We're going to need intell on them." Archie said. Jughead nodded and turned to Betty.

"I'm going to need you and Veronica to find something. The gargoyles haven't seen the two of you before, they'll be more willing to talk." He said and she grinned at him.

"It'll be easier to get them to talk if I show a little skin." She said and he let out a little growl and pulled her into him. He kissed her hard before he looked her in the eye.

"If any of them touch you, I'll break every finger they have." He stated and she laughed.

"Got it boss." She said playfully. He turned and dismissed everyone and as soon as they were out of the room he picked her up and sat her on the table in front of him.

He kissed her and she pulled him in and wrapped her legs around his waist. She could feel him pressed against her as she was currently only wearing a nightgown which she had hastily thrown her serpents jacket over. She pulled his shirt over his head and ran her hands along his chest as he kissed her neck. She knew with the way he was kissing that there would definitely be marks and she smirked. He was quite possessive of her and he left marks to show the others who she belonged to as if they didn't already know.

His hands went under her nightgown as he maneuvered it up her body and over her head. She hadn't been wearing a bra so she was now essentially naked except for her thin panties, and he smirked at her before he moved his hands to her breast. He moved his thumbs over her nipples and she felt a jolt of electricity go through her and straight between her legs. He had always had the ability to make the smallest touches affect her in such a way and she moaned lightly when his tongue replaced his hands. She pushed herself harder into him looking for friction but he moved his hips away and she let out a little whine which cause him to chuckle. His hands trailed down her body and he allowed his fingers to lightly brush her through her panties and she wriggle her hips to try and increase their pressure but he kept moving away and she made a frustrated sound.

"Patience." He said and she nodded as she watched him slowly remove her underwear. He pulled her to the very edge of the table and went back to kissing her as his fingers danced around her most intimate place and she wrapped her arms around him to keep him in place as he finally let his fingers enter her. She rocked her hips forward as her breath came in pants and he bit her lightly on the neck which sent shivers down her spine and she moaned as she threw her head back. He moved his hand rhythmically and she felt the heat build low in her belly. She dug her fingers into his back as the orgasm crashed over her and he kissed her hard. 

She heard him undoing his belt before he entered her swiftly at the tail end of her orgasm and she gasped at the feeling. He put his hands on her hips and pulled her into him as he moved and she put her hands into his hair and brought him in for a kiss. The table was rocking under them and she heard the legs squeaking but she couldn't bring herself to care in that moment. She rocked froward to meet each of his thrust and she heard him grunt as his rhythm lurched and she doubled her efforts and felt the heat building again. She was aware that she was making a lot of noise and could only hope that no one was nearby before her thoughts were scattered once again by the orgasm ripping through her. She felt him release at the same time and they held each other close as they came down from the high.

Once they were both calmed down he pulled out of her and lifted her up to bring her down to the floor with him. He wrapped his arms around her and they laid there together for a long time before he spoke. "I want you to be careful when you and Veronica go out Betty. I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you."

"I'll be fine Jug. I can take care of myself." She kissed him lightly. He smiled at her.

"I know you can but at least take that pistol I got you, there are a lot of people who would love to have leverage on me and I don't want you getting caught up in that." He said seriously.

"I'm not just your arm candy Jughead, I earned the right to be by your side in the serpents." She said and sat up. He sat up next to her and rested his hand on her shoulder.

"I'm not doubting you abilities Betty, I know you can handle yourself I just don't want you to get hurt so shoot first and ask questions later okay?" He said and she nodded.

"If I get arrested I'll just tell them my boyfriend said to do it." She said jokingly and he laughed. "But really I'll be fine and I'll have Veronica with me. We'll figure out what you need to know and then we can deal with the gargoyles once and for all."

"Just make sure to always come back to me." He said and she kissed him lightly.

"Always."


	2. Chapter 2

Early the next morning Jughead joined Archie in the training room and they spared like they did most mornings. They knew each others moves so well by now that it was hard for either of them to actually land a hit but they managed to get a few through each others defenses. Once they were done sparing they went to the treadmills, because you never knew when you'd have to run, either from the cops or one of your enemies so it helped to make sure you weren't going to collapse after a few feet. Jughead and Archie had been friends since they were kids and when Jughead first entered the Serpents they had stopped talking, but as Jughead raised through the ranks and became King they had gotten back in touch and after Archie had witnessed one to many crimes while in the presence of his friend he slowly but surly got sucked into the gang and now bared their symbol on his arm just like Jughead. They had both tried very hard to keep Betty out of it but where Archie went, she followed and one look into her big green eyes and Jughead knew it was a lost cause.

He was aware that most people thought she got the title of Queen because she was with him but a small number of people, one's considered inner circle, knew the truth that she was probably more dangerous than most of them, especially when threatened. She wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger if someone threatened the people she considered family and he had seen it happen himself. Most people knew not to cross her, which is why he wasn't actually worried about her most of the time but he still had an urge to protect her when she looked at him with her big doe eyes. She was a walking contradiction, most of the time she had a sunny smile on her face and she would worry over the other Serpents like a mother but she could flip that switch so quickly and make you wish you'd never been born. He admired that about her.

It was one of the reasons she was so good at recon because most people looked at her and saw a sweet girl who could be anyone's little sister and underestimated her which gave her the upper hand in their interactions. If you were lucky you would never witness her rage from the wrong side and if you did, God help you. Archie moved next to him bringing him out of his thoughts as he got off of the treadmill and Jughead followed him. They both got a bottle of water and stood next to each other allowing their heart rates to slow as the breathed. Archie cleared his throat and looked over at him.

"Are you sure it's a good idea to send Veronica with Betty? She's never been on recon before." He said. Jughead put a hand on his shoulder.

"She's the daughter of a mob boss Archie, I'm sure she can handle herself. We have to let her prove herself sometime, you can't just keep her locked up here for the rest of her life. She needs to learn how to be in this life eventually and Betty can show her the ropes better than most people." Jughead told him. Archie nodded.

"I guess you're right, but I'll probably still worry about her." He said and Jughead laughed.

"Believe me, I know the feeling. You love her, there's nothing wrong with that, but she'll be fine." Jughead reminded him before he left the gym to take a shower. When he got back to the room he saw Betty sitting on the bed and reading a book. He knew they weren't going out until later but he was still surprised to see her here, he had expected her to be with Veronica but he just brushed the thought aside and leaned over to kiss her. She gave him a light peck before shoving him toward the shower and he laughed but left her with her book.

After he got out of the shower he dried off and pulled on a pair of sweatpants before he laid on the bed next to her. She glanced at him over her book but didn't say anything as she went back to reading. He watched as her eyes ran across each page and smiled to himself. He could watch her all day and never get bored, she was like a angel sitting in the sunlight streaming through the window. Her blonde hair fanned out around her face and reflected the light like a halo. She was the only person in the world he could look at and feel lighter and happier and he knew it was love as he gazed at her. He was so happy that she had stumbled into his life because he couldn't imagine what life would be like without her in it. Hell he'd probably be dead by now if she wasn't here but she gave him something to fight for.

He wasn't sure how long they had been in that position with him gazing at her but it startled him when she put the book down and stood from the bed. He rolled onto his back to watch her walk to the closet and start pulling things out. She seemed to find an outfit quickly which he knew meant she had already had it in mind because she could never decide what to wear if she didn't plan ahead. He watched as she wiggled out of the the soft pants and cotton t-shirt she had been wearing and found himself captivated by her movements. They had been together for years but she never failed to leave him breathless by her casual beauty, she wasn't even trying and he couldn't look away. He watched as she pulled on a high waisted black skirt and twist in the mirror and he knew she was checking to see if the tattoo on her hip showed. She seemed to be satisfied with it because she turned back to the bed and pulled the lacy corset over her head and he stood to join her in front of the mirror. He helped her tie it in the back and it framed her breast in a way that made them look as if they were being offered up. He placed a kiss on her shoulder before turning her to face him. He kissed her lightly on the lips before moving back to observe her outfit.

"Beautiful, as always." He said softly. A blush rose in her cheeks which made him smile. He was glad he could still have such an affect on her. "Listen, Archie and I are going to canvass the area where Sweet Pea and Fangs were, make sure there's no trouble."

"And you were worried about me getting into trouble?" She asked quietly. He cupped her face with his hands.

"I'll be careful. I promise." He said seriously. She nodded.

"Okay, I trust you." She said looking up at him.

"By the way, I meant what I said, if anyone touches you I will break every finger they have, and their hands, and probably their face for good measure." He said and she laughed before she pushed him away.

"Go have your bro time with Archie, dodging stray bullets." She said playfully. He grinned at her and looked down to his body.

"You want me to go like this? I'm not even dressed." He said. She looked him up and down.

"Might be a little more fun." She quiped before turning back to the mirror to do her make up. He laughed as he got dressed. He opened the drawer of their bedside table and pulled the gun out, he made sure it was loaded before he put it in the inner pants holster at the small off his back. He caught her eye in the mirror and she took a deep breath.

"Make sure to come back to me." It was something they always said before either of them left to deal with any kind of business. He walked over and laid a gentle kiss on her lips.

"Always."


	3. Chapter 3

Betty and Veronica were sitting in a car outside of the club they knew was frequented by the Gargoyles. They were waiting until they were sure that someone in the upper level of the gang entered before they went in and tried to get information, because they would know the most. They were going to play a pair of drunk college girls just looking for a night of fun that in another life they might actually be. It would be easier to get information if the other party didn't expect them to be more than a couple of stupid girls. It was so easy for people to look at the two of them and underestimate what they could do and that was what they were counting on. She knew if she gave them something pretty to look at then they'd let their guard down, it was becoming something she was very good at. She turned to look at Veronica sitting next to her and knew she had became very good at faking things to, especially living the life she did before she came to them.

"Did you ever think when you decided to rebel against Daddy, this is where you'd end up?" Betty asked her. Veronica turned to meet her gaze and shrugged.

"I didn't think I'd end up in a gang no, but I'm glad I did because it brought me you, and of course my Archikins." She said and Betty laughed.

"From park avenue princess to gangbanger. Not the transformation you'd expect." She said. Veronica grinned.

"Daddy would have a heart attack if he saw me now." She said. Betty studied her face for a moment.

"Do you ever miss it? I mean you had everything, a lot of people would give everything for the life you had." Betty asked softly. Veronica looked out the windshield with a thoughtful look before answering.

"That life that everyone envies, it's all lies. It seems glamorous from the outside but when you look closer it's all just a facade, my dad shows this face to the public of generosity and like he's trying to clean up this city, but really behind the scenes he's one of the worst people. He has people on the streets doing his dirty work and carrying out assassinations of his enemies. All that money and privilege I had was built on a mountain of lies and the blood of innocent people that my father deemed to be a problem. I don't miss it, I just wish I had seen the truth sooner." She turned to meet Betty's eyes. "That's why I like being a part of this gang, sure we sell drugs and we have some blood on our hands but at least we're honest about it. No one is trying to hide any of it, and when there's a problem we deal with it together instead of whispering behind closed doors."

Betty took her hand and smiled at her. "Well, I'm happy you ended up with us."

"Me too." Veronica smiled at her then glanced at the club. "You ready to do this?"

They got out of the car together and made their way into the club. It was dark inside with the music blasting so loud that it shook the walls. Betty took Veronica's hand so they wouldn't get seperated in the mass of bodies writhing and grinding on the dance floor and pulled her to the bar. They sat on the stools and observed the room, keeping a lookout for any of the gang members they were meant to be getting infromation out of and Betty's eyes settled on a table they were crowded around. Veronica followed her gaze and started to get up and go to the table. Betty grabbed her arm to keep her in place.

"Not yet." She said as she turned to order them both drinks.

"Why not?" Veronica asked.

"We're supposed to be drunk college girls V. At least one of them has to have noticed that we just got here, we can't look to eager to speak to them or they'll get suspicious. Let them come to us." She said quietly as she pushed the drink that had just been sat in front of them over to her. "Sip the drink, you don't actually want to be drunk but you need them to see you drinking if this is going to work."

Betty picked up the drink from the bar and started sipping it with Veronica following her lead. She made sure not to stare at the table and let her eyes wonder around to observe to dance floor but she kept track of people coming and going from the group. She noticed that the man sitting with his back to the wall seemed to be important because they all spoke to him before leaving, almost as if he was relaying orders. She knew he wasn't the leader of the gang but he had rank over the others. They sat at the bar for at least thirty minutes before Betty pulled Veronica on to the dance floor. Veronica was very versed in how to act at the club thanks to her life as a high rolling socialite and she made sure Betty didn't look totally out of her element, moving her body to the rhythm of the music and matching their body language.

Betty maneuvered them so they were in the eye line of the men around the table and watched as they began to notice them. She was planning on making them come to her so it didn't look as if she was seeking them out. It was less likely they would be found out if they came over than if she and Veronica approached the table, so she moved her body in a way she knew would at least get their attention. She made sure to stay on the dance floor long enough to catch their attention before going back to the bar. She started a casual conversation with Veronica but both of them kept and eye on the table and Betty smiled when she noticed a couple of guys break away from the group and start to approach them. She made sure to seem as if she didn't notice them until they were standing next to her and Veronica. Veronica raised an eyebrow at them fully in her role.

"What brings you beautiful ladies to a place like this?" One of them asked and Betty had to resist the urge to roll her eyes. Did he really use that line on people she wondered. Veronica grinned at them playing into the role of drunk college girl perfectly as she toddle slightly on the stool. the guy closest to her reached out to steady her and she thanked him before answering the question.

"We just transferred to NYU, we wanted to party it up before we had to go to start classes." She said and Betty was impressed becasue she had managed to slur her word a little at the end. Betty let out a small giggle and looked up at the guy next to her.

"We've never been in the city before and our roommate suggested we come here if we really wanted to party." She said coyly. They glanced at each other before he stepped closer to her.

"Let me buy you a drink and maybe we can show you a real party." He said it into her ear and she resisted the urge to push him away as she looked at him.

"We couldn't possibly drink alone, why don't you get something for yourselves too." She said. He turned to the bar and ordered four drinks for each of them and once he recieved them he lead them over to a different table far away from the one they originally came from. As they sat down she caught Veronica's eye across the table, she nodded slightly and Betty gave her a smile before she took the bag Veronica had laid on the table and sat it on the seat next to her.

They carried on a conversation with the guys while Betty slipped her hand in the bag under the table and pulled out the tablet she had stored there. She hid it in her palm as she waited for an opportunity. Veronica leaned toward the guy next to her and he quickly became distracted by her cleavage, which made Betty want to roll her eyes. Sometimes men were so stupid it amazed her. She pressed her body against the man next to her and he looked at her. She put her hand on his shoulder and leaned closer, which gave him the message she hoped it would. As he leaned down to kiss her she slipped the tablet into his drink triumphantly. She moved her lips away from him and went back to the conversation as if nothing had happened. It would take a little while for the drug to kick in so she glanced at Veronica who took her cue and cleared her throat to get the attention of the people around the table.

"Not that this isn't fun but we were hoping to enhance the nights fun." She looked at each of them then glanced around as if she was checking for eavesdroppers before she leaned close to the table. "You boys wouldn't happen to know where to get some Fizzle Rocks would you?"

"Fizzle Rocks?" The guy next to her asked. "That's kids stuff, don't you want something that has a bit more of a kick to it?"

"What did you have in mind?" Betty asked with a raised brow. He looked at the guy next to her for a moment before he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small packet of white powder. Betty glanced over at Veronica who gave her a shrug before taking it out of his hand.

"How much?" She asked casually.

"Call it a gift." He said. She knew exactly what he was doing, give 'em a sample and keep them coming back. A lifetime client. she reached over and took it from Veronica to tuck it into the bag next to her.

"We'll save it for later on in the night, when we need a pick me up. We're just getting started, don't want to get to sloppy this early right V?" She asked and Veronica nodded at her before grinning.

"How about a dance?" She asked and Betty quickly agreed. She grabbed the guy next to her and dragged him onto the dance floor. He was only a little taller than her so it made it easy for her to put her arms around his neck and move her hips seductively against his. She felt his hands roaming against her sides before the settled on her ass. She wanted so badly to slap him but she just kept a smile on her face as she dances.

It didn't take long before his movements started becoming clumsy and she went on tiptoes the whisper in his ear and invite him outside with her. She pulled him through the crowd catching Veronica's eye on the way and giving her a nod. The door into the alley slammed closed behind them as she pushed him into the wall. She could tell he was out of it as she stepped away from him and he slipped down the wall to the ground. She could tell he was disoriented because he kept blinking as his head moved from side to side. She leaned against the opposite wall as she waited for him to pass out fully. She took a moment to study him and noticed he was about her age, but maybe a little older. 

He had a barely noticeable scar on the side of his neck and the way he was slumped against the wall made him look smaller than he was. He looked like a guy you'd see working at some hipster coffee shop and not out slinging drugs on a street corner but she knew she didn't exactly look like a card carrying gang member either so it didn't really matter. She was startled by the sound of a car squealing to a stop at the end of the alley before she registered that it was Veronica. She joined Betty at the end of the alley and looked down at the guy in front of them before she sighed.

"Let's get this over with." She said.

They moved over to the guy collapsed against the wall and began dragging him to the car, and Betty found herself thankful that in this part of town they hadn't invested much money into street lights. They got him to the car with no interruptions and Veronica moved to his feet as they lifted him into the trunk before hastily closing it. They looked around to make sure that no one had seen them before Betty started the car and started driving. It took them about an hour to reach the abandoned warehouse on the other side of town and they started the process of getting what the needed as they dragged him into the building and cuffed him to the wall. They each dragged over a seat as they waited for him to wake up and Betty knew it was going to be a long night for all of them.


	4. Chapter 4

Jughead and Archie made sure they parked a block away from the area the were searching so if someone was keeping a lookout they wouldn't hear them coming. They searched the area for any activity but there didn't seem to be anyone around, though they did find chips in the walls that couldn't have come from anything other than bullets. Jughead moved around the area cautiously while Archie kept an eye out for any movement behind them. While he was searching he noticed a bag stuffed into a crack in between the walls and pulled it out. He knew what it was the moment he opened it and motioned Archie over.

"They were selling drugs." He said.

"They're trying to move in on our territory?" He asked. Jughead nodded and stuffed the bag into his pocket.

"Shooting Sweet Pea was a warning, they want us to back off but they came into our territory trying to sell their product and shot one of our guys. Something has to be done about this, we can't leave it unanswered while we search for their leader. We need to send them a message." He said and Archie sighed.

"I don't know why they thought we wouldn't do anything. They must be stupider than I thought." Archie said. Jughead agreed before turning to move back toward the way they came in.

"There's nothing here, let's go. We've been here too long." He said and Archie started following him. 

Jughead saw movement out of the corner of his eye and shoved Archie down behind the dumpster they were walking past as the first shot rang out. He cursed and pulled the pistol he was carrying out of the holster. He peeked around the side of the dumpster and let off a few shots hoping to hit the guy but he obviously missed because second later returning shots came. He studied their surroundings quickly and he mentally measured the distance between the dumpster and the cover of the alley they had been heading for in the first place. He turned to Archie and motioned for him to move.

"I'll cover you. Go!" He exclaimed. He used the dumpster as cover and fired toward the end where the guy was to distract him while Archie moved quickly toward cover. Jughead made sure he had made it before he sent up a silent prayer and ducked out from behind the dumpster. He ran for the alley as he kept his gun trained waiting for movement. The guy popped up from behind a stack of wooden boxes and Jughead fired, he could tell he missed because the guy raised his gun and let off a shot in his direction. He ducked for the alley but felt pain slice through his arm. Archie dragged him the rest of the way into cover and he was cursing. He took the gun out of Jughead's hand and turned to watch the entrance of the alley in case, the man was stupid enough to follow them.

Jughead sat against the wall and looked at his arm to assess the damage. The bullet had hit him on the upper part of his arm and he could tell it only grazed him but it still hurt like a bitch and was currently pouring blood down his arm. He ripped a piece from his shirt to fashion a makeshift bandage to make it less noticeable so they wouldn't get stopped and asked questions they couldn't give honest answers to. He pushed himself to his feet and Archie glanced at him.

"You good Jug?" He asked. 

"Yeah, we got to move. If we stay here we're sitting ducks." He said and Archie nodded. They made their way to the other side of the alley and out onto the street. Jughead grabbed the gun and quickly put it back in the holster out of sight of the cars driving by. They kept an eye out for anymore trouble one the way back to their bikes.

They drove back to the compound, taking small detours and sharp turns to make sure they weren't being followed. By the time the entered the building Jughead's arm was throbbing in pain and he felt a little lightheaded from blood loss. Toni was the first one who saw him when he entered the rec room and forced him to sit down. Cheryl started rummaging through the drawers for their first aid kit which contained a lot more than your typical household kit would. Toni pulled a chair over in front of him and started unwrapping the wound. Cheryl sat the kit next to her and then sat a bottle of whiskey in front of him. He took a big drink as Toni poured rubbing alcohol onto his arm. He cursed and tried to pull away but she kept him in place.

She took gauze and cleaned around the wound that was still seeping blood as she examined it. He saw her pull out a needle and sighed. "At least let me get drunk before you start stitching me up."

"Don't be a baby. I have some numbing cream to put on it." She said pulling out the packet. He rolled his eyes. 

"That shit is for when you get a scrape, I don't think it's going to be that helpful while you put a needle through my skin." He said.

"Think of it like a tattoo." She said as she threaded the needle.

"This is nothing like a tattoo." Archie stated voicing his thoughts. He took a big swig of the whiskey in his hand when she looked at them both unimpressed.

"Maybe you'll pass out from the pain, then it wouldn't be so bad." Cheryl said from behind Toni. She was sitting on the counter with her legs crossed and a bag of chips like this was the most entertaining thing she had ever seen. Jughead was tempted to push her off but knew Toni would stab him hard with the needle in her hand. He sighed.

"Fine, let's get this over with." He took a deep breath and turned so that his arm was facing Toni. He gritted his teeth as he felt the first stitch being placed.and breathed out through his mouthso that he wouldn't flinch and mess her up. with each stitch he focused on his breathing between gulps of whiskey and by the time she was finished he was halfway on the way to being wasted and his arm was in so much pain it didn't even feel like part of him anymore. Toni wrapped it in gauze and he put his head onto the counter next to him as the room was spinning. He took deep breaths and focused on the tiles on the floor until the ringing in his ears finally stopped.

He looked up and they were all looking at him in concern which he waved off. He grabbed the kit and grabbed a bottle of pain pills out of it. He normally wasn't one to partake in the drugs they sold on the street but knew they kept a supply of strong pills in the kit for times like this so he swallowed one then closed the kit and slid it across the counter to Cheryl to put away as he waited for it to kick in. Toni sighed and rolled her eyes at him.

"You know Betty is going to kill you when she finds out you got hurt." She said. 

"I know." He said with a groan and sat his head back onto the counter as he heard them laughing. He was not looking forward to her reaction.


	5. Chapter 5

Betty was pacing while Veronica was studying her nails leaned against the walls. Betty sighed and picked up the baseball bat from the floor before twirling in around in circles. She saw Veronica glance at her before going back to her nails. She started tapping it on the ground and Veronica blew out a breath.

"What are you doing?" She asked. Betty rolled her eyes.

"I'm bored." She commented. Veronica glanced at the guy still passed out against the wall.

"He should wake up soon." She said. Betty nodded and looked at him. She had handcuffed him to a pipe attached to the wall and he was slumped over against it. She started pacing again when he didn't move, and she swung the bat around as she went. She saw Veronica move a little further away from her as sh kept an eye on the bat. Betty sighed and went to sit on the chair positioned in front of the guy, and sat the bat across her legs as she tapped her feet. She wasn't the most patient person so waiting for him to wake up was annoying.

She had been staring at him with such intensity that it shocked her when he inhaled sharply and jerked upright. He pulled at the cuffs around his hands while his eyes frantically searched the room. She pushed the chair back away from him and stood. His eyes landed on her and he stopped moving as he took in her posture and the bat in her hand. She saw the fear creep into his eyes slowly as he realized what was going on. He glanced over at Veronica as she moved closer before he looked back at her. He had assessed the situation and deemed her more of a threat, which was smart on his part.

"What the hell is this?! Some kind of fetish?" He asked. Betty rolled her eyes.

"I have some questions I'd like the answer to." She said simply. She tapped her nails against the end of the bat drawing his eyes to it again. "And you're going to give them to me."

"I don't know anything!" He exclaimed.

"Now that's just not true. Tell me where the drugs you so kindly offered us are coming from." She said and he stared at her.

"Are you fucking cops or something?" He asked. Betty scoffed while Veronica snorted and rolled her eyes.

"Do I look like a cop to you dumbass?" She asked.

"Then why the hell do you want to know?" He asked. She crouched in front of him and leaned close.

"I get to ask the questions here. I want to know where the drugs are coming from or I'll take this bat to you, understand?" She asked.

"You're a crazy bitch." He said. She stood and slammed the bat down on his side. She felt the impact in her hands and he cried out in pain. She knew he had to have a few broken ribs from the hit. He flinched when she tapped the bat on the floor next to her foot.

"Don't be rude. Answer my questions." She said. He looked up at them before he spoke.

"Kurtz gives us the drugs to sell." He said.

"And is Kurtz your leader?" She asked.

"No, he's just the cook." He stated. She hummed and paced in front of him swinging the bat back and forth. He flinched each time she passed and she smirked.

"Alright, you've answered that question for me but I have a few more, if you don't mind." She said as she studied him. He kept an eye on her waiting for he next movement. She paused in her pacing and looked down at him.

"You say Kurtz isn't your leader so tell me who is." She said and he shook his head.

"They will kill me." He said. She sucked her lip in and sighed.

"That's unfortunate, but I don't really care." She said before she lifted the end of the bat and brought it down hard on his foot. She leaned her weight on it and glared at him. "Tell me what I want to know."

"Please. Let me go." He whimpered.

"You're pathetic, a little pain and you're already begging." She tutted and and handed the bat to Veronica before she crouched in front of him and grabbed his shirt. She slammed him against the wall straining the cuffs on his hands. "You're going to tell me who took a shot at one of my boys, then you're going to tell me who gave the order or I'm going to take that bat to your knee caps and leave you here. Maybe your friends will find you before you starve to death, maybe not. I don't really care."

She stood back up and grabbed the bat and begun to twirl it in front of him. He flinched each time she got close to his body with it and she raised an eyebrow at him. He glanced between them as if trying to determine if she would actually do it. She rolled her eyes and swung the bat down against his right kneecap and heard the bone crack as he screamed.

"Speak!" She yelled.

"Okay, okay. Penny Peabody, that's who you're looking for. Please don't kill me." He said. Betty nodded.

"I have no intention of killing you. I just need to know one more thing, who took a shot at one of my guys?" She asked.

"I don't know! She gave the order to take out anyone wearing the jacket, it could have been anyone." He said. She leaned down over him and he flinched away from her as best as he could with his injuries.

"I need you to take a message to your boss. Tell her the Serpents don't take kindly to threats, it pisses us off, and if she is trying to start a war, she should watch her back." Betty said as she turned away from him. His voice made he turn back when he spoke to Veronica.

"You're Hiram Lodge's daughter." He said and Veronica glanced at her before turning to him.

"What about it?" She said.

"He's looking for you." He said and she rolled her eyes.

"I know." She answered.

"You should watch your back." He said and Betty stepped toward him.

"Is that a threat?" She asked. He scrambled against the wall shaking his head.

"No! It's just a warning. He put out the word that anyone who sees you should bring you to him for a reward." He rushed out.

"You knew who I was in the club, why didn't you take me then?" She asked.

"That was the plan before you drugged me." He glared. She rolled her eyes.

"So sorry to inconvenience you." She said sarcastically

Betty pulled her away and took the keys out of her pocket. She dropped them far enough away that he'd have to strain to reach them before walking out of the building with her arm through Veronica's. She threw the bat into the trunk before getting in the car and starting it. She pulled away from the building before glancing at Veronica.

"Are you okay? This was your first time going out on Serpent business, I hope it didn't change your mind about us." She said gently.

"Never B. I'm just pissed that my father is offering a reward for basically kidnapping me." She said and Betty reached over to grab her hand.

"You don't have to worry about it. We'll take care of you, no serpent stands alone remember." She said and Veronica smiled at her.

"I'm happy I found all of you." She said and Betty smiled back.

They spent the rest of the drive back in silence but it was comfortable and they now knew who the were looking for and could make a plan to deal with the problem. She was pissed that the Gargoyles had been given full range to take out the Serpents but knew a full out war would bring to much attention to them especially from the police and that was something they didn't need. They would have to be more cautious and stealthy but she was going to take out the threat at all cost, the Serpents had become her family and there was nothing she wouldn't do to protect her family.


	6. Chapter 6

Jughead was leaning against the wall in the rec room watching Archie and Fangs play pool while everyone placed bets on the winner. The pill he took coupled with the alcohol had numbed the pain in his arm but also made him a little unsteady on his feet, which had lead him to his current position using the wall as support. He saw the doors on the other side of the room open as Betty and Veronica stepped through them and he braced himself for the inevitable fallout. He knew exactly when her eyes found him in the crowd because her eyes narrowed and she made a beeline for him. everyone that had been standing around and betting moved out of her way as she walked and the room had gone suspiciously quite, which made Jughead want to roll his eyes, the Serpents were always eager to witness their arguments because she was the only one who could talk to him in that way without fearing retribution and they all found it entertaining. She stopped a few feet away from him with her hands on her hips.

"What. The. Hell. Happened?" She emphasized each word as she spoke. He gave her an innocent grin.

"Welcome home babe." He said and she rolled her eyes.

"Forsythe Pendleton Jones, I swear to god...." She spat angrily and he sighed as he pushed himself up the wall until he was standing fully while still using the wall as support.

"I'm fine Betty, it's really just a scratch." He said and she scoffed.

"A scratch? Really? You were worried about me but you're out there letting someone play target practice with you?" She said and he shook his head.

"He caught us by surprise." He explained as she study him for more injuries.

"I will kill him." She practically growled the words and Jughead couldn't help but let out a little smile, he knew she was just as protective of him as he was of her. He pushed away from the wall and stumbled slightly which had her coming to his side immediately. She wrapped an arm around his waist and looked up at him. "Just a scratch huh?"

"I may have taken something for the pain, I'm not at my best." He admitted. She looked around at everyone before she started moving them toward the door.

"Okay, we're getting you into bed right now." She said and Jughead smirked at her.

"If you wanted me all to yourself, you could've just asked." He said and she rolled her eyes as she practically dragged him along. Her eyes caught Archie as they were walking past and she glared at him.

"You and I will be having a talk Andrews." She snapped and Archie gave her a grin.

"I know you won't kill me Betts, you love me to much." He said cheekily but she maintained the glare.

"I won't kill you no, but that doesn't mean I won't still kick you ass and make it a very painful few days." She said as she finally made it to the door and turned to look at all of them. "As you were."

She didn't say anything as they walked through the compound to the living quarters. They had bought a strip of abandoned warehouses and converted them into a safe haven for their growing gang. From the outside it still looked abandoned but on the inside they had all updated items which included a state of the art security system being monitored twenty-four seven, a computer room for everyone to use and a rec room to relax. It also included a huge communal kitchen for the lower members of the gang and separate ones in the living quarters of each of the inner circle Serpents. Each of the Serpents had rooms that were similar to small apartments, theirs obviously being the biggest which meant it was on the other side of the building. 

When they made it to their room Betty pushed the door open and pushed him gently down onto the bed. She went back and locked their door before she moved over to stand between his legs and she unrolled the gauze covering his newly acquired injury. She studied the stitches put in by Toni before she leaned over and laid a kiss against to skin. She leaned back and cupped his face before kissing him softly and he rested his hands on her hips. He felt her run her fingers through his hair before she pulled back and looked down at him.

"I'm glad you're okay." She said softly. He gave her a gentle smile and wrapped his arms around her waist to bring her closer.

"Of course I'm okay Betty, I have you to come home to, I'd never let myself get hurt to badly." He said and she sighed and bit her lip.

"That's the thing Jug, you may not get that choice. Someone could surprise you before you had a chance to react. I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you." She said and he sighed.

"Look I get that you're concerned Betty, but we have a dangerous job, it's not always going to be the safest." He stated and she nodded.

"I know that, but it still concerns me with Sweet Pea being shot and the Gargoyles being more present in our part of the city, I just don't want to lose you or anyone else, and we'll all have to be more careful from now on." She said. He studied her face and she had a look like she was thinking hard about something.

"What's going on? Did you and Veronica find something?" He asked and she nodded.

"Yeah, apparently the Gargoyles leader is an old friend of ours, Penny Peabody." She spat the name and Jughead cursed as he pushed her away lightly so he could stand and start pacing.

"For fuck's sake! That woman is like a disease, you think she's gone but she just keeps popping up everywhere." He said and Betty sat on the bed and watched him as she spoke.

"We're going to have to kill her." She stated. Jughead sighed.

"I know, but first we have to find her." He said. He spun a little to quickly in his pacing and stumbled as his vision streamed in front of him and he felt Betty grab him and shove him back down on the bed. His vision cleared after a moment and she was looking at him with concern.

"We'll find her, but it can wait until tomorrow when your sober and less likely to face plant on the floor." She said and he nodded as he laid down on the bed. She came over and pulled off his shoes and helped him shimmy out of his pants leaving him in only his boxers and a tank top. She pulled the blankets up on him before moving across the room to change out of her own clothes into one of his t-shirts before going to wash her face free of the makeup adorning it. She slipped into bed next to him after a few minutes and he wrapped his arms around her careful of the wound on his right one as she snuggled into him.

He loved her and thought she was beautiful all the time but this was his favorite version of her. The version that was soft against him and finally allowed herself to fully relax, with no makeup and soft eyes that she only showed to him. He took a long moment to take her in before she looked at him and rolled her eyes telling him to rest and stop staring at her. He went to sleep with a soft smile on his face and dreamed of his beautiful girl.


	7. Chapter 7

The next day found Betty and Jughead standing in a building looking out at a drug deal that was about to take place. They had sent a few of the Serpents to various locations to buy drugs from the Gargoyles, and they had others playing backup in case something went wrong, which is what they were at the moment. She sighed and looked over at him before she spoke.

"I hate waiting." She said and he nodded as he rubbed her back comfortingly.

"I know but the fact of the matter is that Penny knows exactly who you and I both are and she's probably already told the people in her command, but we've gained more members since she left and most of the ones that were with us when she was have retired or left. It's safer for them to go in because they won't be recognized, if either of us went our cover would be blown very quickly and we're trying to do this as quietly as possible." He said and she sighed again.

"I know but this is still boring." She said. He gave her a soft smile.

"I'll take you out for some fun later okay? Right now we need to focus on getting as many of the dealers off the streets as possible, the less people she has on the streets the less protection she'll have on the inside." He explained and she nodded before she went back to watching the corner.

"You're taking me to a club and you're going to dance." She said and he laughed.

"Whatever you want babe." He said as he wrapped an arm around her. 

The Serpents on the street were quick and efficient, within seconds of the Gargoyle showing up they had him knocked out and dragged into the alley. Betty had to say she was impressed with their efficiency as she and Jughead walked down the stairs and quickly joined them in the alley. They were both standing near the entrance to the alley and he was laying on the ground in front of them. He seemed young and she wondered if he was a new recruit or if like her he had been a part of the gang for a long time. She sent the young Serpents away telling them to go back to the compound before Jughead looked at her. She pulled out the gun she had concealed and attatched the silencer then she looked around to make sure there were no cameras or passersby before she fired straight into him.

Jughead helped her pull him further away from the street so no one would just stumble upon him before they slipped out the other side of the alley and she took his hand as they stepped out onto the street as if they were just a young couple out for a stroll in and checked her phone to make sure no one had sent out an SOS. Everything seemed to have gone smoothly and by the time they made it back to the compound everyone was back and accounted for so they relaxed and met Veronica and Archie in the lounge for a status update on the situation with her father. Veronica was in a foul mood and pacing the room as they watched her.

"Who does he think he is, demanding I come home and stop this foolish nonsense as he calls it, as if I'm not a grown woman who can make her own decisions." She exclaimed. 

"I thought he just offered a reward for you to be brought to him. how is he demanding things?" Betty asked. Veronica rolled her eyes.

"I bought a burner phone he couldn't track to call him and tell him that I'm not coming home, and he treated me as if I was a child he could boss around." She threw her hands up in the air. "He's impossible!"

She started ranting in Spanish as she resumed her pacing and Archie looked at her in exasperation. She gave him a shrug because she knew from experience they'd have to wait it out and Veronica would eventually switch back to English. It went on for so long Betty finally got to her feet and stepped in front of Veronica to stop her movement and grabbed her by the shoulders to give her a small shake.

"English Veronica, we can't understand you went you speak so quickly." She said and Veronica took a deep breath before nodding.

"Sorry, he just makes me so angry." She said.

"I know, but as I told you before, we've got you. He isn't going to get anywhere near you, I promise." She said and Veronica pulled her in for a hug.

"I hate that he thinks he owns me." She said. Betty smiled.

"Then let's show him he doesn't." She said and Veronica looked at her with confusion.

"How?" She asked. Betty shrugged.

"Let's send him a message." She said.

"What kind off message?" Veronica asked and Betty grinned.

"He has capos right? They won't hurt you, you're his daughter, it would make it so easy to take one of them out. Leave a calling card so he know it was you, it would send a pretty clear message for him to back off." She explained.

"You want me to kill one of his capos?" She asked and Betty shrugged.

"Show him he can't control you. If you leave a message like that then he'll take you seriously, just talking isn't going to get him to leave you alone, this would." Betty studied her face for a moment. "But if you don't want blood on your hands we can figure something else out."

"No, you're right, threats are the only thing my father understands. If I try and talk him out of it he'll never leave me alone and that money will be hanging over my head for the rest of my life. I'm ready to send him a message." She said determined. 

"If you're sure." Betty said hesitantly. She was the one who proposed the idea but she didn't want Veronica to do it if she had any reservations because it would affect her deeply if she killed someone when she wasn't sure she could handle it.

"I'm sure, I am done being Daddy's little pawn." She said.

"Okay, lets make a plan." Betty said.


	8. Chapter 8

Jughead ended up at the hospital with Archie and Fangs tagging along to visit Sweet Pea. They got to his room quickly and when they stepped in he was sitting up with the TV on, tuned into the news and when Jughead looked at it he realized they were talking about the escalating violence between gangs and knew they obviously hadn't been discreet enough in their efforts. They'd have to be more careful going forward but for now he flipped the TV off and sat in the chair next to the bed.

"How are you feeling?" He asked and Sweet Pea shrugged as he adjusted his position on the bed.

"Well it hurt like a bitch but the bullet didn't hit anything vital." He said.

"That's good. Are you getting out of here soon, I need my second in command back." Jughead said and Sweet Pea scoffed before giving him a small grin.

"I'm sure Betty's done well in my place." He said. Jughead laughed.

"Well she wants you back too. She doesn't like filling your shoes because she can't be as impulsive." He said and Sweet Pea laughed.

"She's kind of a force of nature." He agreed.

They lapsed into silence when a nurse came in to check on him and perform a few tests. After she left Fangs and Archie moved away from the door and came close to the bed to join Jughead at his bedside.

"So Sweets, what happened that night? You're usually aware of your surroundings, how'd they get the drop on you?" Archie asked. Sweet Pea blew out a breath before focusing on the wall as he spoke.

"I was just setting up in our usual spot, waiting on buyers to show up, and I saw these kids at the other end of the alley. I thought they were just kids from the projects hanging out, but I overheard them talking about some kind of bounty they were being offered. Fangs had gone to get something from his bike parked down the street so I was alone, I didn't even see the gun until it was too late. I just felt pain and then I heard Fangs coming back before I blacked out. I woke up here, that's all I know." He explained and Jughead turned to look at Fangs.

"Did you see them?" He asked and Fangs nodded.

"I heard the gunshot so I ran back to see what was going on. When they saw that he wasn't alone, they took off. I couldn't go after them because I had to get Sweet Pea to the hospital." He said and Jughead nodded as he stood.

He ran his hands over his face as he paced the room and Fangs took his spot in the chair next to Sweet Pea's bed. He knew that Penny had put out an order to take out any Serpents but he wasn't aware of the bounty that Sweet Pea had mentioned. It certainly made things more complicated and as he looked around the room he realized all three of them were wearing their jackets, meaning they were effectively walking around with a target on their backs. He knew Penny was trying to force them into hiding and make them shed their skins, she was trying to scare them into abandoning their creed and disbanding and he wasn't about to let that happen. He turned to the room and blew out a breath before speaking.

"Okay so this is what's going to happen, Fangs you'll stay here with Sweet Pea until he's released, once that happens you come straight back to the compound. No one goes anywhere alone, we need to close ranks and protect our people. Archie, you and I are going to need to do a little digging, Penny has to be working with someone, she is the leader of a gang meaning she has some money, but it's certainly not enough to pay a bounty for every serpent killed. We need to find out where the money is coming from." He stated and everyone gave him nods as he moved toward the door with Archie behind him. He turned to look at Sweet Pea. "If you could accelerate your release, it would be great but I want you to be good before you leave so try and recover quickly."

Jughead lead Archie out of the hospital and checked around them before leaving the cover of the entrance. There didn't seem to be anyone positioned to take a shot at them but he still moved quickly, extremely aware of the jacket covering him and the beacon it shone as, almost asking for someone to take him out. He knew the variation on his jacket marking him as high ranking in the gang would give them even more reason to aim for him as opposed to Archie who's jacket bore the normal insignia. They'd probably get double the bounty for taking him out and it put him on edge considering that Betty's jacket had the same symbol as his, but he calmed himself with the knowledge that she was safe at the compound at the moment.

They climbed on their bikes and left the hospital swiftly. The moment they got back to the compound he called an emergency meeting and waited for everyone to trickle into the meeting room. He took in the faces surrounding him and realized that someone was conspicuously missing. He studied the crowd for a long moment just in case he had missed her the first time before he cursed loudly and his eyes settled on Cheryl.

"Where the hell is Betty?" He asked. Cheryl gave him a look before answering.

"She and Veronica went out to deal with one of V's father's capos, remember? They were talking about it before." She said in exasperation.

"Dammit!" He exclaimed as he whipped out his phone and texted her. He informed her of the situation and told her to come back to the compound immediately. It only took a few moments for her to return a text that simply said she would be fine and she'd come home after she dealt with her own situation. He growled softly as he shoved the phone back in his pocket. Sometimes it frustrated him how stubborn she could be and made him want to rip out his own hair. He took a deep breath to calm himself before turning back to address the crowd of serpents that were watching him attentively.

He informed them of the new rule of not going anywhere alone and cautioned them to watch their backs because they was now a bounty on each of them. After the meeting he moved across the compound to his and Betty's room and proceeded to call her, which she didn't answer. He called her again until she texted him and told him she'd call him back later because she was in the middle of something. He slammed the phone down on the bedside table before changing and quickly exiting the room again. He found his way to the gym and wrapped his hands before taking his frustration out on the heavy bag.

He saw Archie enter the room but he ignored him as he continued hitting the bag. Archie came over and leaned against the wall just watching him but he refused to acknowledge his presence until he stepped up next to him and grabbed the bag that was swinging with the force of his hits. He stepped back and glared at him.

"What!" He exclaimed. Archie gave him an unimpressed look before rolling his eyes.

"She'll be fine Jug." He said cautiously. Jughead landed another punch on the bag and Archie stumbled slightly before he adjusted his grip on the bag to keep it in place.

"What if she isn't?" He said angrily.

"She's Betty, she can take care of herself, and I know that you know that." Archie said gently. Jughead ran his hands through his hair in frustration as he looked at Archie.

"I can't lose her Arch, she's my entire world." He said softly.

"I know Jug, believe me I do, but she's gonna make it back. She's one of the strongest people I know, and she isn't stupid, she'll watch her back." He said.

"I know you're right but she just makes me so angry when she doesn't listen, she's so damn stubborn." Jughead groaned and Archie laughed.

"Remind you of someone?" He asked teasingly before he got serious again. "But honestly Jug, if she just listened to everything you said, you wouldn't be with her. You don't want an obedient little pet, I know you, you love that she challenges you."

"Not if it puts her in danger." He said and Archie rolled his eyes.

"Don't lie, you're a total pushover with her, you love when she doesn't listen. Gives you an excuse to punish her." He winked and Jughead turned bright red as Archie laughed.

"How would you even know that?" He asked and Archie raised an eyebrow.

"When you two first got together, we shared an apartment. Those walls were thin, believe me I heard a lot of things I'd rather forget but it's burned in my brain." He said and Jughead laughed.

"Right, you've got a point." He said. Archie smiled and grabbed his shoulders and looked at him.

"She'll be fine." He said steadily and Jughead nodded.

"I know."


	9. Chapter 9

Betty and Veronica were waiting for Andre to show up because Veronica had called and pretended to be scared and begged for her father to send someone for her. Betty thought it was a great plan because this way Hiram Lodge would know exactly what happened to his capo and they wouldn't have to think of a way to let him know subtly. As they were waiting Betty's phone went off and she pulled it out to check and Veronica looked over at her.

"Everything okay?" She asked. Betty nodded as she returned the phone to her pocket after replying.

"Yeah, just Jughead telling us to be careful." She said. That was the gist of the text at least but she wasn't about to abandon their mission because he wanted them to come home. Veronica hummed in resppnse and the went back to watching the street for the black car they knew Andre would be in. Neither of them had worn their jackets because they wanted him to believe Veronica's story and not be suspicious of them. 

The car pulled up a few minutes later and Veronica pulled her inside, and told Andre to take them to the penthouse. He didn't comment on Betty being with her, instead he pulled back into traffic and started toward the upper east side. Veronica and Betty waited until they were almost to their destination before Veronica gave her a nod and Betty pulled out her gun and pressed it hard against his rib cage. He froze for a moment before taking a hand off the wheel but Veronica beat him to the gun he had hidden under his jacket. 

"You're going to do as I say and keep driving until I tell you to stop." She said quietly.

"Miss Veronica, what are you doing?" He had an edge of fear in his voice as he spoke and Betty pressed the gun into him harder.

"I'm sending a message Andre, and you're going to be it." She said.

They were silent except for giving him directions. It took a but of time before they made it to a wooded area outside of the city and Veronica climbed out of the car, as she moved around to open the drivers door. She pointed his own gun at him and she forced him out of the car and Betty followed quickly with her own. They lead him into the cover of the trees and made him kneel on the ground. Betty and Veronica both jumped when her phone started ringing and she cursed as she ignored the call. It was ringing again seconds later and when she checked she saw it was Jughead, she refrained from rolling her eyes as she texted him before turning her phone off. She loved him but sometimes he could be a little overprotective. She knew he'd be angry when they got home but right now she forced herself to focus on the man in front of her. 

He was looking up at them with anger in his eyes but that was overshadowed by the fear she saw as well. Veronica looked over at her before she brought her gun up and pointed it straight at him. He looked at her and spoke before she had a chance to pull the trigger.

"Are you going to kill me?" He asked. Betty rolled her eyes.

"Well we didn't come all the way out here for a tea party." She snapped. He studied them before he turned his attention on Veronica.

"What if I could give you something you need? Spare my life and I'll tell you where to find Penny Peabody." He said.

"Why would we care?" Betty asked. He gave her a look that she thought was a little cocky for a man who was at their mercy.

"I know exactly who you are Betty Cooper, more than that I know who your boyfriend is. I know Penny Peabody has declared open season on Serpents and I know all about the little gang war you have going." He spat and Veronica looked at Betty with wide eyes.

"How would you know that?" Veronica asked. Andre looked at her with a smirk on his face.

"Your father keeps interesting company these days, Miss Lodge." He said. Betty kicked him hard and he fell backwards.

"Tell us what you know." She said as she stood over him with her gun pointed at him. He met her eyes.

"Tell me you'll spare me and I'll tell you everything." He said. Veronica scoffed from where she stood.

"I don't believe you. You wouldn't flip on my father, he'd kill you." She said.

"Like you're threatening to now?" He asked as he pushed himself back up into a kneeling position. "I'm on the inside of your fathers operations, meaning I know everything about his business dealings. If I tell you what you want to know, I can escape from him and hide, but if I don't you'll kill me right now. I like my chances better if I talk." He explained. Betty and Veronica had a silent conversation over his head before she stepped back over to join Veronica. 

"Fine, tell us." Betty said.

"I want your word that you'll let me leave if I do." He said and Betty rolled her eyes.

"You have my word." She said before stepping closer to him. "Now speak."

"I don't know if you're aware but Penny has offered a bounty to anyone who takes out a Serpent, offering more for higher level members, like your friend Sweet Pea. The money for the bounties is coming from Hiram Lodge." He said. Veronica stepped up next to him.

"Why the hell would my father care about inciting gang violence?" Veronica said.

"Because of you Princess. He knew where you were this whole time and he thought the violence would scare you into coming home. He was thrilled when you called begging to come home." He said and Veronica cursed.

"I could have been killed! Did he even think about that when he put a hit on every single serpent? I wear that jacket too, any one of those maniacs he's paying could have come for me. My friends are being put in danger becasue my father is an absolute psychopath." She said it all in a rush of anger. Betty pulled her away and gave her a calming look before turning back to Andre.

"You said you could tell us where to find Penny." She said and he nodded.

"She has an encampment by the docks, but you won't get in easily. She has the place guarded tighter than Fort Knox, and she knows you'll come for her eventually. You'll have to find a weak spot in the security if you hope to get in, and don't forget she knows exactly who all of you are so her guards probably do to. You'll have a hard time getting past her guards." He looked up at her and laughed. 

She stepped away to prevent herself from hitting him and pulled Veronica backwards with her, not taking her eyes off of him. Veronica pulled away from her and walked toward him, and Betty saw it happening before she could stop her. Veronica pulled the gun up from her side and pressed it against his forehead, moments later the shot rang out and Betty was staring at her with wide eyes.

"You gave him your word, I didn't." She said as she swept past Betty toward the car and Betty spun on her heal to follow her. Veronica was leaning on the car with the gun sitting on the hood when Betty caught up to her but the most alarming part was the tears streaking down her face. Betty rushed to her side and pulled her in, she ran her hands through her hear as Veronica sobbed into her shoulder. When they finally seemed to have subsided Betty grabbed Veronica's face and made her look at her.

"You didn't have to do that V. I could've handled it." She sadi gently. Veronica shook her head.

"That's not why I'm crying B." She said with a hitch in her words. "This is my fault, everyone is in danger and it's because of me."

"It's not your fault. This is because of your father okay? He's the one responsible, not you." She assured her.

"Everyone's going to hate me." She cried and Betty pulled her back in.

"That's not true. We're your family, we'll always have your back." 

Betty spent a few minutes comforting her before she urged her into the car and started driving back to the city. The car was silent, both parties reflecting on what they had just learned for different reasons, and the ride back was accelerated by their inattention. Betty knew she was driving way to fast because she was distracted but at least that meant the made it back quickly. They made a quick pit stop to ditch the car at a chop shop ran by retired serpents, before getting a cab to drop them a few blocks away from the compound They walked the rest of the way and when they got inside Betty gave Veronica a reassuring hug before she steeled herself to walk to her own room.

As she stepped inside it seemed abnormally quiet as she made her way through the living area to the bedroom. Jughead glanced up from his book when she came in before he placed it on the bedside table and stood. She watched him as she put the gun away, but he didn't move from his spot.

"You defied me today. I told you to come home and you ignored me. I'm not just your boyfriend, I am your king." He said steadily. She bit her lip as she moved toward him.

"I'm sorry." She said quietly. He moved so suddenly she didn't have time to react before she was abruptly thrown onto the mattress. He crawled over her and quickly tied her hands to the headboard. She looked up at him through heavily lidded eyes. He moved away and looked down at her.

"You're going to show me how sorry you are, aren't you love?" His voice was a low growl and she whimpered.

"Yes."


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains smut at the beginning. Feel free to skip it if you want, no significant plot is going to be included. I will leave a line when smut ends so you can safely skip without missing anything.

As Betty watched him standing at the end of the bed looking down at her she pulled on the fabric around her wrist just to see if she could get loose and he smirked at her. She stopped immediately as he moved up the bed with a knee on either side of her hips to prevent her from moving. She was effectively trapped and at his mercy, and he loved it. He unbuttoned her shirt and spread it open giving him a view of her body, her breathing was already quick and he ran his hands along her rib cage feeling each inhale as he smiled down at her. Normally she was strong willed and stubborn but when he tied her up a switch flicked and she was entirely helpless to his desires.

He popped the button on the skirt she was wearing before quickly removing it along with her pantie leaving her completely bare from the waist down. He flicked his eyes up to meet hers as he slid down her body and she looked blitzed out even though he had barely touched her. He smiled as he brought his mouth down to the tattoo resting low on her hip and she made a soft noise as he sucked a bruise onto her skin. He held her hips in place with his hands as he began to stroke his tongue against the most intimate part of her. He felt her trying to move and press herself more into him and he squeezed her hips hard in warning. She whimpered but stopped moving and he smiled slightly as he continued his ministrations. She rewarded him with low moans and he made sure to pay extra attention to her clit, her breathing came in quick gasps as he sucked gently. He heard her pulling against the restraints and he knew from the sounds she was making that she was close. He redoubled his efforts and she came undone under him.

She was riding out the end of her release when he untied her hands for a moment to get her shirt off and readjust her position. He pulled her from the bed and tied her hands behind her before he made her kneel in front of him. She looked up at him with a heated look in her eyes. He took a moment to admire her form as she kneeled in front of him.

"Now, that apology you owe me." He said softly and she nodded as she moved closer to him, clearly eager. "Say it."

"I'm sorry." She said softly and he shook his head at her with a smile.

"For?" He asked.

"I'm sorry for defying you." She said, looking up at him from under her lashes.

"Do you think I should let you show me how sorry you are?" He asked as he ran his hand through her hair.

"Please." She said, biting her lip.

"I'll be good."

"Jesus, you're gonna be the death of me baby." He said before he quickly undressed and she smiled up at him as he stroked himself to full hardness. She moved toward him and started swirling her tongue around him before she sucked at the very tip and moved her tongue around the tip. He wrapped his hand in her hair as she took him fully into her mouth and threw his head back in ecstasy. He felt her doing things with her tongue as she sealed her mouth on him with suction. He pulled her away slightly with the hand in her hair before he snapped his hips forward. He felt more than heard the moan she let out and he pulled slightly at her hair. She responded with a whimper as she sucked him deeper. He felt the pressure building behind his belly button and quickly pulled her off him. She made a sound of protest as he pulled her to her feet. He kissed her hard before spinning her around and bending her over the vanity.

He used the hand still in her hair to make her look up into the mirror as he pushed into her. She let out a soft gasp and their eyes met in the mirror. He thought she looked beautiful like this, she had a slight flush over her cheeks and her lips were swollen from their previous activities. He moved his lips to her neck to suck a mark onto her skin as he snapped his hips forward. Her hips were repeatedly bouncing into the hard desk edge given that her hands were still tied and she couldn't stop it but she didn't seem to mind, as she was moaning loudly in encouragement. He caught her eyes once again in the mirror and held them as he moved his hand to stimulate her clit and bring her to release. Her moans faltered breathlessly right before he felt her release, and he watched her face in the mirror as the pleasure rolled over her. It brought him to his own release and he bit into her shoulder as he joined her in the pleasure.

Once the orgasm subsided he stayed in place for a long moment as he was a little unsteady on his feet. After he fully regained his senses he pulled out of her and gently untied her hands before carrying her over to the bed. He laid her down and went to the bathroom to start running a bath, before he quickly came back to her. She was staring at the ceiling when he sat next to her. He gently touched her face and she looked over at him but he could tell she was still not all there with him. He kissed her softly.

"Come on babe, come back to me." He said softly. She looked at him for a moment before her eyes started clearing and she smiled up at him. He returned the smile as he kissed her again. "Are you okay? That was a bit intense."

"I'm great." She said. Her voice had a hollow quality to it so he knew she wasn't fully back yet but it was enough for him to move her. He lifted her into his arms and brought her to the bathroom. He turned off the water and sat her into the bath before climbing in behind her. He pulled her close to him as she came out of what he had learned after research was commonly referred to as subspace. He knew she was in a vulnerable head space right now she he just held her close and helped her recover.

* * *

He left Betty wrapped in blankets on their bed as he called a meeting of the inner circle Serpents. They were all quick in getting to the meeting room and he motioned for them to sit before he turned to Veronica.

"Did you learn anything today, from your dad's capo?" He asked. Veronica gave him a confused look.

"Didn't Betty tell you?" She asked. He sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck and Cheryl smirked at him.

"You get a little distracted?" She asked. He gave her a look.

"That is none of your business." He snapped and she laughed. Veronica quickly jumped in to explain what the had learned from Andre, before it escalated into an argument.

It took a few minutes for her to relay the information and Jughead cursed as he looked at everyone around the table. They needed a way in but none of them could go, Andre had been right about that. He picked up his phone and sent a text out to Kevin, Reggie, and Josie to come to the meeting before he pulled a map out and sat it on the table top.

"Okay, so she set up on the docks, that means that she's narrowed down her escape routes. It'll be easier to cover the exits, which might work in our favor." He said as he circled the area on the map. "We need to get someone on the inside but it can't be any of us. She knows who we are, Andre was right about that."

"We could just blow it up." Cheryl said. Jughead shook his head.

"We'd still need someone inside to plant the bomb, and there's to much room for error. If we blew it up we could totally miss her and she'd just set up somewhere else, no this needs to be stealthy. We need to get someone close enough to take her out." He said. 

At that moment the door opened again admitting their friends. Kevin looked extremely disgruntled and from his hastily put together exterior Jughead suspected his text had dragged him out of Joaquin's bed and he wasn't sure he wanted that image burned in his brain so he turned to look at the two behind him, who at least seemd to be decent.

"What did you call us for?" Reggie asked. Jughead motioned them over and pointed at the map.

"We've found Penny but ran into a bit of a problem." He explained.

"How are we supposed to help with that?" Josie asked.

"She knows who we are because we were all apart of the Serpents when she was, but she's never met either of you. I don't want to send anyone in alone and you three are people I trust so which ones want the mission?" He asked. Kevin stepped forward to address him.

"It'll have to be the two of them. I wasn't a Serpent when she was around but I was dating Joaquin, so there's a good chance she's seem me before." He said and Jughead sighed.

"Right, I forgot that you two have been together longer than Betty and I." He shook his head before addressing Reggie and Josie. "So, I'll send the two of you."

"How are we going to get in?" Josie asked.

"You're going to need to infiltrate their ranks. Spend a few days observing the encampment, but stay out of sight. Gather as much intelligence about the comings and goings as you can before moving. Keep me updated." He said. They nodded before turning the leave and get ready for the mission, but Reggie paused at the door and turned to them.

"What do we do if we get close to her?" He asked. Jughead met his eyes.

"Kill her." He said. Reggie gave him a nod and continued out of the room. He then turned to Veronica again.

"We need to do something about your father, if he's willing to do this then the bounty isn't going to go away with Penny." He said.

"I'm so sorry about this." She said.

"This isn't your fault Veronica." He said. "But,maybe you need to have a meeting with your father, face to face. Take Archie with you, try and convince him to release a cease fire."

"He'll try to keep me there." She said.

"We won't let that happen. Trust me, call him, set up a meeting in a place we can send backup to watch you. If things go bad we'll get you out." He said and she nodded. "Alright, meetings over."

Everyone went there separate ways to carry out the plans they'd made, but Jughead was still uneasy about the whole situation. He had a bad feeling that something terrible was about to happen.

 

 


	11. Chapter 11

Betty stepped into the rec room, which seemed extremely busy considering the early hour, and Veronica stood and came over to her with Toni and Cheryl trailing behind her. Betty saw Jughead and Archie look at them from the other side of the room before moving toward them. Cheryl turned to address her before the boys made it over to them.

"You know he's not going to like us leaving right?" She asked and Betty blew out a breath before spinning to look at him as he stopped next to them.

"Are you going somewhere?" He asked.

"We were going to go shopping." Veronica spoke before she had a chance to and Jughead raised an eyebrow at them.

"Shopping? Is this really the best time to do that?" He asked and Betty could hear the sarcasm he was trying to hide.

"We need to go Jug. Veronica needs clothes for her mission, you know the one  _you_ gave her. She can't go to her parents in the clothes she has here, they'll expect their proper little girl, not the gang member." Betty explained calmly. Jughead sighed.

"Fine, but at least take someone with you." He said and Betty gave him a look.

"We've had this discussion, I can take care of myself." She said evenly. Toni stepped up next to her.

"And besides, she'll have us with her." Toni said. Jughead seemed like he was about to say something before Toni raised and hand and started speaking again. "If you still insist we have someone go with us, I'm going to have to kick your ass right here."

Betty could see he wanted to protests so she took his hand and pulled him out of the room and away from the crowd. She stopped when they got to a secluded corner and she turned to him with her arms crossed. He gave her a sheepish look as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"I know you can take care of yourself Betts, but this is different. Their is a bounty on our heads and the symbol on the back of your jacket marks you as queen, it puts you in more danger than it does them. I can't lose you, okay. I'd go crazy." He said softly. She sighed and moved to hug him, he wrapped his arms around her tightly and they spent a few moments breathing each other in before she pulled back slightly and brought her hand up to cup his face.

"Listen, I know that you're worried but if we let people like Hiram Lodge and Penny Peabody threaten us and control our lives, then we've already lost. I refuse to let them have that much power over me." She said looking into his eyes. She saw the thoughts flashing through his eyes but he didn't voice anymore of his worries, but instead gave her a soft smile as he laid his hand over hers.

"Okay, just be careful and you make sure to come back to me." He said and she returned his smile.

"Always." She answered as she went on tiptoes to kiss him softly before pulling away and turning to go and meet the girls. He caught her hand and pulled her back to him as he looked down at her with a soft look on his face.

"I love you." He said. She smiled and squeezed his hand lightly.

"I love you too."

* * *

 

They ended up inside the Balenciaga store and Betty found it comical how the store clerks were eyeing them. She knew what they looked like from the outside with the matching jackets but the clerks didn't even know where they were from. For all they knew they had just gotten matching jackets because they were good friends, and not for any other reason. She didn't think they looked that threatening if you didn't know them, but she assumed the clerks thought they were just some poor girls who decided to take a look around and she was almost certain they were waiting for them to steal something so they would have a reason to call security.

Toni met her eye and the shared mutual amusement, because the clerks were at least half right in their assumptions, she and Toni weren't exactly wealthy even if they did make a decent amount of money from the gang, but Veronica and Cheryl had both grown up in this world and both still had access to their trust funds, but the clerks didn't know any of that and had been quietly stalking them through the store. Betty loved seeing the look on their faces when Veronica whipped out her black american express card. Their eyes went wide and they scrambled to help her with her bags but she just rolled her eyes and threw out a comment about how profiling your customers was rude and she wouldn't be shopping there anymore. They barely made it outside the door before Toni and Betty cracked up.

"I think they wet themselves when they saw your card." Toni said through her laughter. Veronica snorted as Toni and Betty leaned on each other and Cheryl rolled her eyes beside them.

"I love when people misjudge me, because I love the look on their faces when they realize I could end them with only a few words." She said. 

"They wouldn't know what hit them." Cheryl agreed.

It took a few minutes for them to calm down and stop laughing but they were soon on their way to the other shops and Veronica started trying on dresses to get their opinion on them. When she came out of the dressing rooms in a simple black dress Betty gave her a simple nod.

"Definitely get that one. You look almost the exact same as you did when we met, except without the pearls." She said and Veronica turned to look into the mirror.

"You're right." She had a sad look on her face as she studied herself in the mirror. Betty came up behind her and rested her hand on her shoulder and Veronica looked at her. "I hate it. It reminds me of when I was just a stupid girl complying with my father's wishes, when I thought he was a good man. It reminds me that everything in my life was a lie."

"V, don't let the memories have power over you okay? You're a different person now, a better person." Betty said. Veronica shook her head and wrapped her arms around herself.

"Am I really though? I hated my father for selling drugs and killing people, but I've done both of those things too. I'm no different than him." She said. Betty looked around to make sure no one had heard Veronica before she met Cheryl's eyes and motioned to the dressing room with her head. Cheryl nodded and Betty pulled Veronica back into the dressing room safe in the knowledge that Toni and Cheryl were outside making sure no one overheard them. She grabbed Veronica's face in her hands and made her look at her.

"Listen to me, you are nothing like your father. You do what you do for a reason, he does it just because he can." She reassured her.

"Maybe he thought he had a reason too." She said softly. Betty shook her lightly and Veronica's eyes snapped to meet hers.

"Remember Veronica, he put out a bounty that could get you killed if someone sees your jacket. He knew you were a part of the Serpents but he didn't tell them to avoid you, he just declared an open season." Betty studied her face to make sure she was listening before she continued. "Tell me what kind of person does that? He risked his own daughter's life because he was trying to scare you into coming home. He had no other reason to target the Serpents."

"He just wanted me to come home, he wanted his daughter back." She said and Betty sighed.

"Okay, think of it from a different perspective. If you had a child, would you risk their life just because you wanted them to come home?" She asked. Veronica looked at her for a long moment.

"Of course not." She answered.

"That's my point." Betty said quietly. "We do what we do to survive, he does it for his own manipulative reasons. You are not like him." 

Veronica nodded and Betty pulled her in for a hug. They stayed in that position until a knock sounded at the door and Cheryl asked if everything was okay. Betty looked at Veronica with concern but she assured her she'd be out in a minute after she changed back into her normal clothes. Betty joined Sheryl and Toni on the other side of the door as they waited for Veronica.

She ended up purchasing the dress despite her emotional breakdown and they all decided that they were done shopping for the day after that. They were all a little emotionally drained and exhausted, so it was better to go home. Veronica ordered an Uber and they made their way to the exit of the mall. They hadn't been outside for very long when Betty saw movement out of the corner of her eye and she reacted before the others even noticed anything was wrong. She flung her arm out and shoved all of them backwards slightly at the same moment the shot rang out. 

Cheryl shoved Toni into the wall and shielded her, but the men at the other end of the sidewalk didn't seem interested in them. He was looking right at Betty and she knew Veronica had noticed because she jerked her quickly down the sidewalk and into the alley. Betty knew to reach them the men had to go through Cheryl and Toni and she shoved Veronica away as she spun around to return to the sidewalk. Veronica grabbed her and shoved her against the wall.

"Stay here." She snapped. Betty tried to loosen her grip and get away but Veronica was stronger than she looked.

"We can't just leave them out there, they could get hurt." Betty said. Veronica scoffed as she proceeded to pull Betty down the alley toward the other side.

"They didn't seem that interested in the rest of us Betty. It didn't escape my notice that they were coming for you." She said. Betty planted her feet and stopped their forward motion.

"Remember the rules Veronica, no serpent stands alone. I refuse to leave them." She said as she yanked her hand out of her grip and started back toward the sidewalk. Veronica caught up with her quickly and stood in front of her as she tried to shove her backwards.

"Don't be stupid Betty!" She exclaimed. Betty ignored her as she noticed one of the men entering the alley from the way she was going. 

She was instantly worried about Toni and Cheryl and she shoved Veronica sideways into the wall as she rushed toward the man. He pulled his gun up and pointed it at her causing her to stop moving instantly. She heard Veronica struggling behind her and she looked back to see another man had her with her arms behind her back. She realized in that moment as she saw more people joining them from both sides of the alley, that they were trapped. The man pointing the gun at her smiled as he saw the though cross her face.

"No where to run now." He spat maliciously as he swung the gun toward Veronica. Betty moved quickly toward him and shoved his arm making the shot go wide and the bullet slam into the brick wall. He brought the edge of the gun down hard against the side of her head and she stumbled and fell to her knees as her vision went blurry. She heard Veronica scream behind her so she forced herself to look up at the man in front of her even though she couldn't focus on anything at the moment. The pain exploding behind her eyes was distracting but she forced herself to speak.

"Let her go. You obviously came here for me, so take me, kill me, do whatever you're going to do to me, but let her go. She has nothing to do with this." She said.

"No!" Veronica's voice was accompanied by sounds of a struggle and the tell tell sound of someone being hit. Betty could barely focus on the man in front of her so she couldn't look back to make sure Veronica was alright as she went quiet.

"Leave her alone." Betty growled. The man in front of her laughed and landed a solid kick against her rib cage. She fell to the ground with her breath knocked out of her.

"You think we're going to let her go and tell your boyfriend? Not a chance in hell. " He said as he looked down at her with a sadistic smirk on his face. "We were only supposed to take you, but she looks like she could be worth a bit of fun." 

"If you touch her, I will kill you." Betty said as she struggled to get back on her feet. She stumbled into the wall as the pain surged and she heard the group laughing.

"Yeah you're so threatening." He said. She saw his blurry image in front of her right before he landed another blow to her face. Everything went black and they last thing she heard was Veronica screaming her name. 


	12. Chapter 12

Jughead was hanging out with Archie and Kevin when his phone started ringing. When he pulled it out of his pocket Cheryl's face was on his screen indicating that she was the one calling, he was confused about why she would be calling him while she was out with the girls but he shrugged and answered it.

"Cheryl, what's up?" He asked. He heard heavy breathing on the other end of the phone couples with a slight whimper before she spoke.

"We need help Jughead, something happened." She said. He could hear the panic in her voice and he was on his feet before she had finished speaking. Archie and Kevin were close behind even though they didn't know anything about what was going on.

"What's wrong Cheryl? What happened?" He asked. He was already halfway to the garage to get his bike but he was trying to stay calm, he kept telling himself that Betty was fine, he'd see her soon, everything was okay.

"We were ambushed, I tried to protect Toni but she got hurt,we're at the hospital." She said. He took a deep breath through his nose in an attempt to keep from screaming at Cheryl because she was only giving him snip-its of information about what happened and he reminded himself that she had obviously been through something and was a little panicked but he wanted her to snap out of it and tell him what he needed to know.

"Cheryl, I need you to breathe and calm down. I expect a full report when I get there." He told her just as he made it to his bike. Kevin and Archie followed his lead and went to theirs as well. He started to hangup the phone but Cheryl's voice came over the line again.

"There's something you should know before you get here." She said with caution in her voice. "Betty and Veronica aren't here."

"What are you talking about? Where the hell are they?" He asked, the sudden panic and anger running through him effectively freezing him in place.

"They weren't there for us, the only reason Toni got hurt was because they were trying to prevent us from helping Betty, they were there for her." Cheryl said.

Jughead hung up without even responding and was peeling out of the garage before he even fully registered what she had said. He knew without a doubt that he was going way to fast but he couldn't bring himself to care, Betty was in danger and he wasn't going to let anything delay him in getting all the information he could and getting to her. It didn't even matter to him anymore that they didn't have a plan or a way in, he would storm that hideout to protect her. He got to the hospital in record time with Archie and Kevin not far behind, he didn't even wait for them to park, and instead burst through the doors of the hospital spitting out Toni's name to the shocked receptionist. She quickly found the information on the computer and relayed it to him.

He didn't even pause in his steps as he moved determinedly toward the ER even when Archie and Kevin finally caught up, he had one goal in mind and that was to get Betty back, at all costs. When he turned the corner into the emergency room he saw Cheryl sitting in a chair outside of the room Toni was in and she looked up when she heard them coming toward her. She had tears rolling down her face but the thing that caught his attention was the gash on her forehead and the bruises already forming on her face. She threw herself into his arms and he wrapped his arms around her in shock, he didn't think they had ever hugged before and it was strange to be this close to her. He moved away after a moment and made his way into the room leaving Archie and Kevin to stand guard outside.

Toni looked smaller than usual lying in the bed. She had a huge gash running down her arm and it looked like someone had taken a knife to her, which is probably exactly what had happened and he knew just from looking at it that she'd have to get stitches. She looked up at him when they walked in and he moved to sit in the chair beside her bed.

"Tell me what happened." He said. She moved to sit up straight and Cheryl helped her by moving the pillows so she would be comfortable.

"We had decided to come home so we were leaving the mall and they came out of no where. Betty saw them first and she got us out of the way but she saw how they were looking at her, she must have known they were coming for her, but Veronica pulled her away. I think they were trying to protect us by leading them away to follow their true target, but some of them stayed behind to watch us. I tried to help but Cheryl and I got hurt and we couldn't go after them. Then they must have gotten some kind of signal because they left and I went to find Betty and Veronica but they were gone. We couldn't stop them." Toni explained. Jughead's fist were clenched and it took everything in his power not to yell at both of them but he knew that it wasn't their fault. He got to his feet again suddenly and started toward the door.

"Where are you going?" Cheryl asked from her place by Toni's bed.

"I'm going to get her out of there." He said as he swung the door to the room open. He heard movement behind him and heels clicking on the floor before Cheryl grabbed his arm and pulled him around to face her. He glared at her but she wasn't backing down.

"You can't do that." She snapped.

"She's in danger Cheryl! What the hell do you want me to do, sit around and wait?" He shouted. Cheryl returned his glare and dug her nails into his coat as if she was trying to prevent him from leaving.

"We don't even have a plan to get in Jughead! If you go in there half cocked with no plan you're going to get her killed." She kept eye contact with him as she spoke in a measured voice. "Look I get it okay, you love her, but we need a plan if we're going to have any chance of getting them out alive and safe."

Jughead took deep breaths through his nose as he jerked away from her and walked out the door. Archie followed him as he made his way down the hall and away from Cheryl, leaving Kevin with them. He knew that Cheryl had a point and they needed a better plan but his heart was clenched painfully in his chest and every minute that Betty was out there made it worse. His footsteps stuttered and he stumbled into the wall as he slid down on to his knees. He felt the crushing weight of losing her and tears were falling down his face as his shoulders shook with the sobs he refused to give voice to. He felt Archie lightly touch his shoulder but he shook him off, he didn't want the comfort.

Betty was out there somewhere, probably scared and in pain and he couldn't do anything to help her. He felt like he had failed her, he hadn't been able to protect her when she needed him and he would never forgive himself for that. The thought of losing her was so agonizing it seemed to manifest physically and his stomach clenched so violently he thought he might throw up and the pain in his chest radiated throughout his entire body. He was aware that he was still in the middle of the hospital and people must be around but it was only a vague thought as the rest of his world was fuzzy around the edges and the ringing in his ears blocked out any noise. Archie's face suddenly filled his vision but it was as if he was looking down a tunnel, he felt hands on his face and he saw Archie's lips moving but he didn't know what he was saying.

Archie looked concerned as he waved a hand in front of Jughead's face. The thoughts and panic enveloping his mind started fading away as he focused on Archie, and he saw his lips form the word Betty. He shoved the thoughts to the back of his mind and forced himself to focus on his face, he realized he was hyperventilating and began to slow his breathing. The world came back in pieces as he calmed his mind and he began to notice their surroundings, they were in a hallway that seemed to be free of people besides them and sound came back to him suddenly as the wave of receded. Archie still had his hands on his face and he looked at him.

"Are you calm now?" Archie's voice held caution as if he was talking someone off the ledge. Jughead nodded but found he couldn't speak yet and Archie blew out a breath like he was relieved. "Okay, good now we need to talk. We are going to get them back, we just need to be calm and think this out rationally. Believe me I want to go as much as you do, but we can't be stupid." Archie said and Jughead studied his face.

"I'm sorry Archie, I didn't even think about you, of course you'd be affected too. With Veronica." He said. His voice sounded hollow but he was coming back to himself a little at a time.

"It's okay Jug, I get that it's different with you and Betty." He said simply. "She's your achille's heal, the one weakness you have, I don't expect you to be worried about me when she's in danger."

"You're my best friend, I should have checked on you." Jughead stated. Archie shook his head and finally removed his hands from Jughead's face.

"Like I said, it's okay." He answered. He stood and pulled Jughead up as he went. Jughead stumbled as he felt lightheaded and Archie steadied him.

"I never should have let them go on that stupid fucking shopping trip." He said angrily.

"This isn't your fault." Archie assured him. Jughead ran his hands over his face and sighed.

"Then why does it feel that way." He asked.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: In this chapter there is sexual assault and attempted rape, if you are triggered by that feel free to skip this chapter. Take care of yourself first.

Betty jolted awake at the sound of someone calling her name, she felt pain explode in her head as she opened her eyes and she blinked the blurriness away before her eyes landed on Veronica. She set up suddenly as it all came back to her and felt a pull at her wrist, her eyes fell to her hands chained to the pipe next to her with handcuffs. She jerked hard and the pipe moved slightly so she kept pulling hoping to get her hands free. Her wrist quickly became bloody from the cuffs scraping against her skin but she kept yanking and the pipe suddenly gave way sending her backwards onto the floor. Her hands were still in the cuffs but at least she could move, and she crawled over to Veronica who looked like she had been crying and she hugged her.

"You're okay." She said relieved.

"Me?! You're the one that got knocked around." She said and Betty touched her head lightly. She could feel the not that had formed and she suspected she had a nasty bruise and probably a concussion. She studied Veronica and noticed she had a few bruises on her face and a black eye but she seemed to be okay. She took a deep breath and looked around at their surroundings, their were no windows and only one door and she knew there had to be someone outside. She sighed and turned back to Veronica.

"Do you have a bobby pin?" She asked. Veronica reached up and pulled one from her hair and Betty made quick work of getting the cuffs off of her wrists. "We need to find a way out of here."

She got to her feet slowly so she wouldn't get dizzy and pulled Veronica up next to her. She started moving around the room looking for any kind of opening the could use to get out and Veronica followed her lead, it was silent as they searched but it proved to be fruitless. The only way they were getting out of here was through the door and Betty was painfully aware that neither of them had a weapon. 

"Why haven't they killed us?" Veronica's voice came from behind her and she turned to look at her as she spoke. "I mean, they have a kill order for the bounty, especially for high ranking members but they haven't killed us. They must have a reason." 

"They probably know who you are, your father's paying the bounties, he'd be very unhappy of some idiot killed you." She said and Veronica sucked in her bottom lip as she stared at her.

"Yeah, but that doesn't explain why they didn't kill you. My dad doesn't give a damn about you. They must want something." She said. 

Betty was about to reply when the door creaked open. She moved quickly toward Veronica and pushed her into the corner of the room and placed herself in front of her, the man entering the room studied them carefully and she saw his eyes flick toward the place she had been cuffed before he smirked. Two other guys joined him and Betty became uneasy at the though of being out numbered. She kept her place in front of Veronica even as they moved closer and she stepped back pressing her more firmly into the wall. The first man who entered the room came toward them and she glared at him.

"I told them not to cuff you to that pipe, it's a bit rusty." He said casually. 

"What the hell do you want. You would have killed us if you didn't want something." Betty snapped. She felt Veronica's hand balled up in her jacket and she moved her hand back to comfort her as she kept the glare on the men in front of them.

"Oh we will kill you but not until we've had our fun, after all you just have to be dead in the end, no one said we couldn't do what we liked with you first." He said sadistically. Her heart started racing but she wasn't going to let them see her scared so she scoffed at him.

"What no girl wants you so you have to resort to forcing yourself on people? Tragic, really." She taunted. He laughed and moved froward to grab her by the arm and pull her toward him. She stumbled but she felt Veronica clutching her jacket and pulling her back desperately. She helped by shoving against him with the arm he wasn't holding but he swung his fist into her face and her ears started ringing. Her vision blurred and she found herself worried about the amount of times you can take a hit to the head before it does serious damage. 

He threw her onto the floor and she caught herself on her hands scraping the skin off her palms and making them bleed. She saw Veronica lunge toward her but the two men with him grabbed her and held her back. Betty scrambled across the floor away from him but he kicked her hard in the side and she fell to the ground with the breath knocked out of her. He shoved her over onto her back and she shoved at him with her hands but he grabbed her wrists in his hand and held them above her. She kept squirming so he couldn't touch her.

"Stop it! Leave her alone." Veronica screamed.

He laughed above her and pushed his knee painfully into her hip to keep her from moving. He leaned down to kiss her and she turned her face away so he brought his other hand up to hold her face in place. She could smell his breath as he put his lips to her and she tried to move away making a sound of protest but he forced her lips open and his tongue entered her mouth. She bucked trying to get him off of her but he was stronger than she was, so she bit down on his tongue until she tasted blood and he jerked away from her. He jerked her up only to slam her back against the floor again and her vision streamed. Her head was exploding in pain but she wasn't going to stop fighting.

He was angry and she felt him ripping at her clothes and the cold air rushed against her exposed skin. He tore her shirt off leaving her in only a bra and she jerked her wrists free of his hand and started shoving him again. He pressed his knee into her chest keeping her on the ground and she felt his hands roaming her body. She felt the tears of panic building but she didn't want him to see her cry, she didn't want to show weakness. His hand made it's way under her pants and she felt him touch her in the most intimate place on her body and she screamed and redoubled her efforts. She wiggled her body until she was able to plant her foot against his hip and shoved him away from her. 

She scrambled backwards quickly and her hand fell on the pipe she had pulled from the wall. She gripped it tight in her hand and when he advanced on her again she swung it hard, it made contact with the side of his head and knocked him to the ground. She moved to her feet quickly as the other two men in the room moved toward her, leaving Veronica alone in the corner. Betty held the pipe like a bat and they approached her cautiously and she swung it out to keep them away from her. The door behind her opened suddenly and the men in front of her moved away. She turned and came face to face with Hiram Lodge. He didn't even look at her, his eyes going straight to Veronica.

"I told you that she wasn't to be hurt." He said. 

"She wouldn't cooperate, we had to get them here somehow." One of the men rushed to explain. Hiram looked at him with an impassive look on his face.

"You hurt her when you weren't supposed to, and you left this one alive when I explicitly said to kill her." He said motioning to Betty. He pulled a gun suddenly and Betty ducked toward the wall and she saw Veronica rush toward her but he didn't turn the gun on her, instead he let off two shots in quick succession and the men fell to the floor with blood pouring out of their wounds. He observed the third man, but Betty had knocked him out with the hit. He turned to them suddenly and Veronica moved in front of her.

"Why are you doing this?" Veronica asked. He studied her for a moment before he shrugged.

"You chose the Serpents over your own family, this is your punishment." He said. She glared at him.

"I could have been killed." She snapped. "And my friends are being shot at because you can't let me chose my own life. I'm not a child and you're not going to scare me into coming home."

"You'll change your mind, eventually. You'll see I did this for you." He said and Veronica scoffed.

"Who do you think you're kidding? You didn't do this for me, you did it for you, because you can't stand not being in control. I refused to be your little puppet and it pissed you off that you couldn't control me." She said as she moved to shield Betty more. "I won't let you hurt her."

"She's the reason you left Veronica, I have my sources, you met her first and she brought you into the Serpents. Besides if she dies her little boyfriend won't be able to lead the Serpents and they'll fall apart meaning I'll have access to more territory." He said. "Now, I'm going to leave you here to contemplate your next move, her life or yours, make a choice."

"You won't kill me." She said. "I'm your daughter."

"I wouldn't be so confident in that Veronica, after all you did betray me." He said and left through the still open door. It slammed behind him and Veronica spun to pull her into a hug, she allowed herself to cry for only a moment before she pulled Veronica to the other side of the room, away from the slowly growing pool of blood seeping from the two bodies on the ground next to them. She didn't know if she had killed the third man when she hit him but he hadn't moved yet so she knew he had to be hurt pretty badly. In the back of her mind where darkness grew she thought 'good, I hope it fucking hurt.'


	14. Chapter 14

Jughead was pacing the meeting room waiting for Josie and Reggie to make it back after he had called them. They had only been patrolling for a couple of days but he was hoping they'd have at least something they could use to make a plan and get Betty and Veronica away from the Gargoyles. He could tell everyone was on edge but he couldn't bring himself to stop moving because if he did his mind became overwhelmed with worry and guilt. They were out there probably being hurt and he couldn't do anything about it. He wanted so badly to attack the Gargoyles but he knew people would die and they'd probably kill both the girls before they even had a chance to find them.

When the door opened he spun on his heal and his eyes landed on Josie first, she was taking in the room and seemed to know that something was wrong just form the energy that the others gave off. Reggie was right behind her and he was also glancing around cautiously before his eyes moved to meet Jughead's at the front of the room.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"Betty and Veronica were taken by the Gargoyles." Archie said quietly. He was staring at the table and his hands were balled into fists, it snapped Jughead out of his pacing immediately looking at him. He had to remember that he wasn't the only one who had lost someone, he had no doubt that Archie was having the same thoughts as he was, but they had to be smart about this or they'd never see Betty and Veronica alive again.

"Look, I know that you and Josie weren't observing them for that long but is there anything you can tell us that might help. We need to find them before it's too late, they won't keep them alive forever." Jughead asked.

"There are a few abandoned warehouses on the docks but the seem to only use the biggest one. We only saw people coming and going from that one." Josie answered. 

"There's also a small out building, a shed really, that I saw a few people go in but it was infrequent. If I had to bet, that's where I'd say they were keeping them." Reggie said. 

"Could we get into the building without alerting anyone in the warehouse?" He asked.

"They have a lookout between the two buildings but if someone could get in and take him out first then I think it could be managed but it's have to be stealthy. You could only take a few people with you if you didn't want to get caught." Josie answered. Jughead nodded and turned his back to the room. Everyone was quiet, waiting for him to decide what he was going to do. He thought about the logistics of the rescue, and knew that Josie was right. He could only take a small group with him if he wanted to get them out alive. He knew he needed to fully trust the people he was taking with him so it didn't leave him much option for who to take. Sweet Pea was still recovering in the hospital and Fangs was with him so that left him very few people he could pick from. He turned to face them again.

"Archie, Cheryl, Toni, Josie, Reggie, Kevin and Joaquin. You all stay, everyone else can go." He said. There was a lot of shuffling as people got out of their chairs and left the room, the door clicking shut behind them. Everyone left behind took a seat at the table and he looked them over. "You are the people I trust most in this gang so you're going to help me get Betty and Veronica back."

"Do you have a plan?" Kevin asked. Jughead sighed and turned to Toni.

"Can you do this with your injury Toni?" He asked.

"It's basically just a scratch, I can do this." She said. He nodded before he grabbed the map off the wall and laid it down on the table in front of them. He circled the docks before handing the marker to Josie, who marked the place the lookout was located and the locations of the warehouse and out building.

"Here's the plan, Cheryl you will take out the lookout with your bow and arrow, he won't even see it coming and he can't alert anyone. Josie and Reggie will keep lookout by the car while the rest of us move to the building, we'll leave Kevin and Joaquin at the doors just in case we get an unexpected visitor. Archie and I will take Cheryl and Toni into the building to find the girls, we don't know how badly they're hurt so we may need the extra help to get them out. Is everyone clear on their roles?" He asked. They all gave him nods in return. "Good, now go and get ready, we'll make our move after it gets dark."

They all moved to leave except Archie. Once everyone was out of the room Jughead moved to him and touched his shoulder lightly, Archie's eyes snapped up to his and Jughead could see the tears and pain in them. 

"Archie, we will get them out." He said.

"What if we don't?" His voice broke. "I know you love Betty but you and Veronica aren't that close. Losing Betty would break you but if Veronica dies, you'll survive, I won't. If I lose either of them, I don't know what I'll do. Betty and I have been friends since we were in diapers, I love her, she's like family, and Veronica, she's my everything, I can't lose them." 

"You won't." Jughead said it with more confidence than he was truly feeling in that moment but he knew that Archie needed the reassurance. "We're going to get them back, then we're going to give the Gargoyle's hell for what they did.They crossed a line when they took them and we're going to make them pay, I promise you that."

Archie met his eyes and Jughead saw the determination overtake the sadness as he stood and pulled Jughead in for a hug. Jughead returned it in surprise before Archie pulled away.

"I'm proud to call you my leader, but more than that I'm proud to call you my brother. I know that you won't stop at anything to bring them home." Archie said before he turned and moved to the door. He pulled it open before he turned back to him. "Now let's go rescue our queen and princess."

"You know Veronica would kill you for calling her a princess." Jughead said through a smile. It felt strange to be smiling right now, when they hadn't even began their mission but Archie always had a way of bringing it out in everyone, even when he was in pain himself. He was truly a brother.

"I'd let her, if it meant she was safe." He said and Jughead nodded and moved toward him. They left the room together and went to get ready for the mission. Jughead was determined that he would not fail, he would bring them home no matter what.


	15. Chapter 15

Veronica and Betty had been left alone with the bodies of the men for a few hours and Veronica was staring at them in horror as she had been since her father had left the room. Betty grabbed her hands and jerked so that Veronica looked at her, and away from the men.

"My father is a monster. He killed those men and didn't even care." She said. Betty sighed and grabbed her face.

'Listen to me, you can't dwell on it or you'll drive yourself crazy." She said and Veronica pulled her hands away from her face with her own. 

"I always told myself that he must have a reason to kill the people he does, but I was wrong. He kills without mercy or reason, he does it just because he can." She said. "I don't want to be like him."

"You're nothing like your father Veronica, trust me on that." Betty said as she pulled her into a hug. Veronica nodded as she returned the hug, and they stayed that way for a few minutes until she pulled back suddenly. Betty looked at her in question.

"Archie and Jughead have to know we're missing by now. Maybe they're coming for us." She said and Betty bit her lip.

"Maybe, but we can't just sit here waiting like damsels in distress. We need a way out." She said. "Your father came in alone, when he comes again we need to get the upper hand and get out of here."

"He has a gun!" Veronica exclaimed.

"I'd rather die fighting than wait for him to kill me." Betty said. She would not go out cowering, if she was going to die, she was going to give them a hell of a fight first. All she wanted was to go home, she knew that Jughead was probably blaming himself and if she died here, he would never forgive himself. She wanted to tell him that none of this had been his fault. More than anything she just wanted to see him and have him hold her in his arms again. 

She had never been a religious person but as she sent a prayer up to any and all gods that may be listening to just let her make it back to him. She hoped against all hope that she and Veronica both made it out of this hell hole and back to the men they loved. All the times Jughead would leave on business for the serpents she would hope for his safe return, but in the back of her mind she never actually thought that he wouldn't came back, it had never occurred to her that she may be the one who didn't return. She knew that he may never recover if he lost her because if she lost him she would break and she knew that it must be the same for him.

She also knew that Archie would be devastated if anything happened to Veronica. She closed her eyes and felt determination building in her, she would make sure that she and Veronica got out of this place even if she had to kill every last Gargoyle in this place. She was snapped out of her thoughts when the door creaked open again and she opened her eyes and quickly stood to face Hiram as he walked in. He closed the door behind him as Veronica got to her feet beside her. His eyes bounced between them as a cruel smile crossed his face.

"Have you made a choice Veronica? Your life or hers?" He asked and Veronica glared at him.

"I won't choose, she's family." She snapped and Betty watched as his eyes darkened with anger.

"No she is not. You are a Lodge before anything else." He said.

"I don't want to be a Lodge. There is nothing good in the name, just murder and bloodshed." She said. He moved toward them and backhanded her hard. Betty grabbed her arm and jerked her behind her, before she pushed him backwards. He stumbled but when he righted himself he whipped his gun out and pointed it at her from a few steps away.

"I will kill you right here." He said, anger coating every word. She stepped toward him and the gun pressed against her chest.

"You were stupid to come in here alone." She said. He laughed like she had said the funniest thing he had ever heard.

"I have a gun, and you're two little girls playing at being gangbangers. You really think I'm afraid of you?" He asked. She raised an eyebrow and took in his face.

"Do you underestimate us because we are unarmed or because we're women, because both reasons would be stupid." She said and he seemed to be formulating a response but she continued. "Didn't anyone ever tell you not to stand so close when you're pointing a gun at someone?"

She saw the question register in his eyes before she shoved the arm holding the gun to the side and hit him hard with her other hand. Before he recovered from the blow she grabbed the arm still holding the gun down hard onto her knee. His elbow made a loud popping sound and the gun fell from his hand, she shoved him backwards as he screamed in pain and swept his legs out from underneath him. He fell to the ground out of reach of the gun, but he was still screaming and she knee she needed to shut him up before he alerted someone so she grabbed his head and banged it into the floor until he passed out. 

She moved away from him cautiously in case he was pretending before looking for the gun. She couldn't find it on the floor but she knew he had dropped it close to Veronica and her eyes snapped to her. She was pointing the gun at him and had a faraway look in her eyes. Betty moved to her quickly and grabbed the gun out of her hands before she slapped her, she seemed to jolt back into her body and her eyes met Betty's.

"You can't kill him Veronica." She said and Veronica glared over her shoulder at him.

"Why not?" She asked. 

"He's your father. It may feel good now, when you're angry, but later....you'd never forgive yourself. You can't have his blood on your hands." She said and pulled her away from him and toward the door. "Now let's go, we need to get out of here before someone comes looking for him." 

She opened the door cautiously but she didn't see anyone in the hallway outside the room the were being kept. It was a small hallway leading out to a big open room and she made sure they kept low, so they could hide if needed. She pulled Veronica along with her trying to be as quiet as possible, no one was around which was putting Betty on edge because she knew they wouldn't just leave them entirely unguarded. She heard footsteps and jerked Veronica behind a large crate and she peeked out from behind it to see two Gargoyles entering the room. She turned to Veronica who was looking at her with wide eyes and she put her finger to her lips signaling that she should be quiet.

She expected them to continue on to the room they had just escaped but they stayed and she closed her eyes to gather her thoughts. They couldn't just sit here and wait for them to leave, every second they shared the space with them was a second closer to being discovered. She didn't want to use the gun because it would make too much noise and bring them reinforcements and they'd have no hope of making it out. Plus there was every chance that they also had guns and if she didn't take them both out quick enough she'd be killed.

She cursed silently in her head before she handed the gun to Veronica and motioned toward the door before she stood and spun out from behind the crate. They were on their feet immediately and she gave them a smile.

"Fancy seeing you here." She said. They moved toward her but neither of them seemed to be carrying a gun because they hadn't pulled it as soon as they saw her.

"You're supposed to be locked up." One of them said and she shrugged.

"Sorry to disappoint." She answered sarcastically. She heard movement behind her and Knew by the sound of the steps and the look on the faces of the men in front of her that it was Veronica. She sighed and without taking her eyes off the men in front of her, she spoke to Veronica. "Go Veronica, you're supposed to leave."

"No." She said and Betty sighed again. "I'm sorry but I'm not leaving you here."

"Why are you so damn stubborn?" She snapped.

"Been spending to much time with you I guess." Veronica answered. Betty heard her take a few steps closer. "Now you gentlemen are going to take a few steps away from her and we're going to leave or I'm going to put a bullet between your eyes."

"You think we're just going to let the Serpent's Queen walk away." The man on the left snapped. "I don't think so."

It happened so quickly Betty wasn't able to stop it. He whipped out a switchblade and stuck it deep into her stomach. She didn't feel pain at first, as she stared down at it in shock. He had a cruel look on his face as he twisted it and jerked it out. She was staring as the blood spread across her shirt and the pain finally came to her leaving her breathless as she stumbled away from him, her hand pressed against the wound. The shot rang loud in her ears as the man's blood sprayed the room and he fell. The second man was staring in shock and she saw fear cross his face before the second shot pushed him back, blood spreading like paint across the ground as he fell beside the first man. 

Veronica moved to her and pressed her hand against hers over the wound. The blood was coming fast and heavy between her fingers and she looked up at Veronica who had tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Leave me." She said, her voice echoey and hollow in her ears. Veronica shook her head and pulled her arm up over her shoulder and wrapped an arm around her waist pulling her up and moving across the room to the door.

"We're getting out of here together. You are not going to die here, I won't allow it." She said and Betty leaned on her heavily.

They stumbled their way outside and Veronica made sure to keep them in the shadows so that no one would see them if they happened to look out a window. Betty found herself wondering why no one had come when they heard the gunshots, or maybe they hadn't heard them at all. She knew she was losing a lot of blood, she could feel it running down her hand and dropping to the ground. Her shirt was wet and sticky against her skin and she was stumbling over her feet as the dizziness overtook her. She wasn't sure how far they had gone or how close they were to getting out but Veronica was supporting most of her weight at this point and she knew that she would get tired eventually.

She felt like she was floating and the world around her seemed out of focus. She knew it was a bad sign but she couldn't tell Veronica to leave her again so she stumbled along beside her. She was sure she heard Jughead calling her name so she must have been hallucinating. Her world was turned upside down when her feet were abruptly pulled from the ground and she could feel that she was in someone's arms. She was stunned, because she knew it wasn't Veronica carrying her, she could feel that it was a man from his chest pressed against her side. In her hazy mind the body seemed familiar and she squeezed her eyes shut and struggled to focus. Her eyes cleared slowly as she reopened them and she found herself staring up at Jughead.

She was confused briefly wondering why he was here before the thought was swept away by another. Of course he'd be here, if she was dying he'd be the last thing she wanted to see so her mind had conjured him up for her. She took comfort in him as she drifted in and out of consciousness. She saw flashes of other people around them and frantic movements, but she was floating above it all. They seemed to be in a car and she wondered why her mind would conjure something so strange but went along with it. Jughead had tears on his face as he bent over her in his lap and his lips were moving so she struggled to hear what he was saying. It seemed to be coming from a long way away but still she listened.

"You can't die Betty. We haven't done all of the things we meant to okay. We're supposed get married and have kids, we're supposed to have a million great adventures together. I need you to live for me, I love you. Please, please come back to me." His voice broke and he pressed his forehead to hers. She felt his tears wet against her face and she wanted to tell him she loved him back but she couldn't seem to form words. She was numb but she forced her hand to move. It was a crude movement but he saw it and took her hand in his. He kissed her softly and his shining blue eyes were the last thing she saw before the world went black.


	16. Chapter 16

Betty had been rushed away from them the moment they stepped foot in the hospital and they were ushered into the waiting room where they were sitting now. Jughead couldn't stop looking at the blood on his hands and clothes, his leg bouncing frantically with the pent up energy in his body. He felt like he couldn't breathe and his mind couldn't form coherent thoughts, just panic rushing through his head. Everything sounded far away, he could hear Archie and Veronica speaking softly in the corner of the room but he couldn't make out what they were saying, it was like the entire world had been turned down a few notches. He squeezed his eyes shut trying to calm his mind but he saw flashes of Betty, the blood, the pain in her eyes, and he opened his eyes as he leapt to his feet.

He began pacing ignoring the looks he was getting from the others around the room, he needed to be moving so that he could at least feel like he was doing something. They had been sitting in this waiting room for hours with no word on her condition and he felt helpless. He wanted to be doing something but there was nothing he could do, he had to trust the doctors to help her and he hated it, hated that he couldn't fix this. He had spun to pace back to toward the wall when he heard Sweet Pea's voices.

"Oh for fuck's sake, what now?" He said. He had just been released form the hospital himself and Jughead had urged him to go home and rest hours ago but he had steadfastly refused and had sat down in the waiting room and hadn't moved since. When Jughead turned to see what he was talking about he saw Sweet Pea was looking at the hallway leading to the waiting room and when he followed his gaze he saw a couple of cops coming toward them through the large window next to the door. He sighed heavily but no one moved as they opened the door to the room and entered. Jughead sighed heavily and stepped forward to greet them.

"What can we do for you officers?" He asked. They looked at him and he saw their eyes catch on his jacket before one of them stepped forward and reach out to shake his hand.

"I'm Officer Smith and this is my partner Officer Samuels, we just wanted to speak to you and try ti understand what happened with Miss Cooper and Miss Lodge." He said and Jughead saw his eyes dart behind him to Veronica's face, and the obvious bruises. Veronica stepped up next to him and touched his arm lightly to move him to the side bringing the officers attention solely onto her. 

"Betty and I were shopping and we were attacked. When I saw that she was hurt, I panicked and called Archie." She motioned to him still standing in the corner behind them. "They came to get us and bring Betty here."

Officer Smith studied her face for a moment and Jughead knew he didn't believe her. "You and your friend were attacked and you called your boyfriend instead of the police?"

"Like I said, I panicked. Archie is the person I trust the most, it made sense in the moment to call him." She said. The officers looked at her in silence for a long moment before their eyes flickered between him and Archie finally landing on her again.

"You're sure that's what happened?" Officer Samuels asked. Until that moment he had been taking notes on what was being said but he lowered his pad and pen and looked at her seriously.

"Of course I'm sure. What kind of question is that?" She asked. Officer Smith shifted slightly before once again glancing at Jughead.

"We know what those jackets mean, what you're all a part of." He said quietly turning his gaze fully on Jughead. "We just wanted to make sure that you girls were okay."

"What are you talking about?" Veronica sounded genuinely confused but Jughead was quickly catching on to what these officers believe happened to Betty and Veronica.

"We just wanted to make sure it wasn't a domestic dispute that got a little out of control, that's all." He said. Jughead glared at him.

"I'd never hurt her." He said and his voice held all the rage that he was feeling in that moment, he'd rather shoot himself than ever hurt Betty. Archie stepped up next to them and put his hand on Jughead's shoulder as he looked at the officers in front of them.

"Just because we wear these jackets and bear this symbol on our backs, it doesn't make us bad people. No one around us would tolerate any man raising a hand to the women in our lives, in fact he'd be out on his ass faster than you could comprehend. We're not in the business of abusing women." He said. The officer's took them in, standing united against the percieved threat and Officer Samuels closed his notebook and tucked it back into his breast pocket and Officer Smith pulled out a business card and handed it to Veronica before speaking to them as a group.

"We'll be back to speak with Miss Cooper when she wakes up." He turned to Veronica and met her eyes seriously. "You can call me if you need anything Miss Lodge."

With that they turned and left the room and Veronica rolled her eyes before dropping the business card into the trash and moving to reclaim her seat in the corner pulling Archie along with her. Jughead resumed his pacing and the room went quiet once again, everyone somber and waiting for news about their queen. It wasn't long after the cops left that the door opened once again admitting the doctor and Jughead moved toward her while everyone else got to their feet and crowded around behind him. The doctor looked at all of them for a moment seemingly startled before she seemed to shake herself out of it to meet his eyes.

"Miss Cooper is out of surgery, and being moved to a recovery room as we speak." She started and Jughead felt like he could finally take a deep breath. 

"So she's okay?" He asked.

"She has a severe concussion, likely a result of the repeated blows to the head and she lost a lot of blood so we had to give her a transfusion, but by some miracle the knife didn't hit anything vital. She'll be on some pain medication and antibiotics for a few weeks but I expect her to make a full recovery." She said and Jughead blew out a deep breath.

"Thank you so much." He said shaking her hand. "Can we see her?" 

"Of course." She answered before she lead them out of the waiting room and down a series of hallways, finally stopping outside of a room with the door closed. She pushed it open admitting them into the room, there were still nurses moving around the room setting up the monitors but Jughead only had eyes for Betty. Her hair was fanned out under her head like a halo shining under the fluorescent lights, she was pale and he was sure he had never seen her look as small as she did in that bed. 

He moved toward her sitting in the chair next to her bed and taking her hand in his. She looked so fragile and he just wanted to take her away from here and hide her away from the world, as he brought her hand up to his lips and laid a gentle kiss on the back of it. He was vaugely aware of everyone else moving around the room but his entire mind was focused on the gentle rise of her chest as if he was afraid if he looked away it would stop and he'd lose her forever. He didn't move from his spot as the others came to her other side and touched her gently and spoke words of encouragement and happiness to her.

He wasn't sure how long he sat there before Archie touched his shoulder lightly and broke his reverie to inform him that they were going to leave and tell him to call when she woke up. He nodded his assent and went back to gazing at her as the room went quiet and he heard the door click closed. He moved to run his fingers through her hair gently and lay a kiss on her forehead and as he looked down at her he felt the tears building behind his eyes before they spilled over. He moved his hand to cover his mouth and muffle the sobs while keeping her hand clutched tight in his other one. He leaned over and buried his face in her neck as he hugged her gently and took in the feel of her heartbeat against his.

"I'm so sorry Betty, I should have been there, I should have saved you." He muttered against her shoulder before pulling back and sitting back down in the chair. He looked at her face as he spoke. "I know that you can take care of yourself, and you'd be pissed if you knew I even insinuated that you needed to be saved but I can't help it. I almost lost you, and I can't live in a world where you don't exist, so bear with me when I get a little overprotective." His voice broke and he absentmindedly wiped the tears still leaking from his eyes. "I love you, so I need you to wake up and come back to me okay?"

She obviously didn't answer but he took comfort in the beeping of the machine monitoring her heartbeat while he waited. She was going to be okay, he knew that, she was one of the strongest people he knew so he rested his head on the the edge of the bed and gazed up at her until the adrenaline and panic running through his system filtered out and his eyes grew heavy with exhaustion and he fell into a deep sleep. His nap didn't last long before he was jerked awake, disoriented and confused as he sat up trying to figure out what woke him. As he glanced up at Betty, his eyes landed on hers, open and alert and he stood suddenly and moved toward her.

"Betty."


	17. Chapter 17

When Betty opened her eyes she was surprised by the bright overhead lights and as she waited for her eyes to adjust she heard a steady beeping and noticed an antiseptic smell. All of that combined in her mind and she realized she was in a hospital. She glanced around as her vision cleared and she saw Jughead hunched over in a chair with his head resting on the bed near her hip, she reached out slowly and touched his hand lightly and he jerked awake suddenly. She watched as he looked around the room before his eyes landed on hers and he was on his feet and at her side quickly.

"Betty." His voice came out soft and filled with relief and she gave him a soft smile and reach her hand out for him. He took her hand in his and leaned over to kiss her softly before cupping her face and meeting her eyes. "How are you feeling? Any pain? I can get the doctor."

She shook her head. "I'm fine."

Her voice was raspy from disuse nut he didn't seem to care as he smiled at her and pulled her into his arms. She wrapped her arms around him and they held each other tight, she buried her nose into his shoulder and took in his familiar scent calming her mind and making her feel safe for the first time in days. She felt the tears falling down her cheeks but she ignored them in favor of keeping him close for a little longer, until he pulled back slowly and wiped the tears off her face with the pad of is thumb.

"I thought I'd lost you." He said softly.

"I'm sorry." She said. He shook his head.

"It wasn't your fault." He said. She glanced up at him and shrugged.

"You told me not to go, that it was dangerous, but I thought we could handle it." She paused as she leaned back into the bed and clasped her hands together in her lap. "I was wrong."

"Hey, look at me." He put his hand under her chin and moved her face so that she was looking directly at him. "Don't blame yourself, this isn't on you."

"Where's Veronica? And Toni and Cheryl? Are they hurt?" She asked ignoring what he had said. He sighed and took her hand in his.

"They're all fine. Veronica got checked out when we got you two here, she's got a few bumps and bruises but she's fine. Toni had to get a few stitches but she'll recover and Cheryl's fine. Everybody's okay." He said and she nodded as she was picking at her nails.

"The Gargoyles came for me, they got hurt because of me." She said quietly. She heard him sigh.

"The Gargoyles made the choice to attack you, and they aren't the kind of girls to go down without fighting, even if they'd been given the option to walk away you know they wouldn't have gone." He shifted closer to her on the bed and she glance up at him as he repeated "This isn't on you, Betty."

She didn't get the chance to respond because the door opened and the doctor walked into the room. Jughead stood from the bed to greet her as she made her way over to the bed and began to examine Betty. She shine a light in her eyes and made her follow a pen with her eyes before she had Betty lay back down so she could examine the stitches on her abdomen. She took of the bandages and Betty glanced down to take a look at the damage but it wasn't as bad as she had expected. There was the obvious wound from the knife that was a little jagged and crooked, with prominent bruising around it and there were a few small obviously surgical cuts around it. She finished examining them quickly and replaced the bandages before pulling the gown back down over it.

"The wound is doing well, the swelling has gone down and it doesn't look infected so I'm not worried about it, I expect an easy and quick recovery." The doctor said smiling at her. "That being said, it is going to hurt for a little while as it's healing so I'll give you some medication for that but I don't see any problems arising."

"Thank you." Jughead said and Betty shifted until she was in an upright position.

"When can I go home?" She asked. The doctor looked at her for a moment.

"If you do well today, I can release you as early as tonight for outpatient care, and you can follow up with your regular doctor." She said politely and Betty nodded.

"Thank you Doctor, I'm just really ready to go home." She said softly and the doctor nodded.

"I understand that. I'll check back in later and if your still doing well, I'll release you." She said before picking up her clipboard and leaving the room as swiftly as she had entered. Jughead came over and resumed his seat on the edge of the bed.

She smiled and reached out for him as she scooted over on the bed, he moved up and laid down next to her with his arms wrapped around her gently. She snuggled into his side as much as she could without pulling at the stitches in her abdomen and closed her eyes just taking in the safety and security she felt with him, and he buried his face in her hair. They laid there together in silence just taking one another in and reveling in the feel of having the one you love the most next to you.

"I thought I was never going to see you again." She said softly. Neither of them moved from their positions but she could feel him kiss the top of her head softly.

"I don't want you to worry about that anymore, I'm never leaving your side again." He said just as softly. They went quite again for a moment before a memory pushed at the edge of her thoughts and she moved to glance up and meet his eyes.

"I remember you talking to me before I passed out, you said we still had a lot of things to do together.....like get married." She said softly before she lightened the mood by grinning at him. "That better not have been a proposal Forsythe Jones, because I expect to at least get flowers before I agree to marry you."

Jughead laughed softly as he looked at her. "Noted."

She moved to kiss him and his hand slid into her hair as he pulled her closer with the arm around her back. Her hands were resting on his chest as she deepend the kiss for a moment before pulling back, and he kissed her on the forehead.

"I'm so glad you're okay, I couldn't bear the thought of losing you." He said and she kissed him lightly again before echoing his earlier words.

"I'll never leave your side again, my love."


	18. Chapter 18

Jughead filled Betty in on what Veronica had told them had happened so when they came to question her, she answered the questions flawlessly and corroberated the story. He called Veronica and she brought Toni and Cheryl to the hospital with her and he told them to keep an eye on Betty while he went to deal with something. She reached out to him from her bed and he moved to take her hand.

"I thought you said you weren't going to leave my side." She said and he sighed and kissed her on the forehead.

"I'm just going back to the compound. I need to talk to Archie and Sweet Pea about something, I'll be safe." He said. 

"Some back to me." She said softly and he gave her a small smile.

"Always." He said before turning away and leaving the room. It was something they said to each other each time they left each others side but he knew now that it wasn't a promise that could always be kept so it made him a little wary of saying it but he wasn't going to disappoint her. He was going to make sure to keep the promise so before he left the hospital he pulled off his jacket and made sure that his tattoo was covered so that he'd be less recognizable as the leader of the Serpents and thus less of a target. 

The drive back to the compound didn't take long and he found Sweet Pea, Fangs and Archie in the weight room. He closed the door as he entered and they all looked at him breaking their own conversation to come over and he glanced around to make sure the room was empty before leading them over to a table positioned in the corner where they all took a seat.

"How's Betty?" Archie asked.

"She's doing fine, the doc said she could leave tonight if nothing comes up." He said and Archie nodded. Jughead knew he had been almost as worried about her as he himself had been. "But, we need to deal with a few things right now."

"Penny Peabody." Fangs chimed and Jughead nodded.

"She crossed a line when she took our queen, she knew exactly what she was doing. We need to draw her out, there is no way we can wait long enough to gather enough intelligence to get into the warehouse, and even if we had the time we don't know the layout so we could be blindsided. We need to get her out away from the protection of the warehouse." He said.

"And how do we do that?" Sweet Pea asked.

"Bait." He said simply. "She took Betty because she wanted to get to me, so let's give her the opportunity."

"How?" Archie asked.

"Propose a meeting in a neutral location. Say we want to put an end to the feud, make a deal, she'll take the bait." He said and Sweet Pea raised an eyebrow.

"Are you sure? She's not an idiot." He said and Jughead nodded.

"I don't expect her to be blindsided, she'll expect something, meaning she'll have men hiding, ready to launch an attack at a moment's notice, which is why I'm going to have Cheryl and Toni assist you and Fangs in taking them out, quietly and quickly." He said.

"What about me?" Archie asked. Jughead turned to him.

"Even if we deal with Penny, Hiram Lodge is still lurking in the background, which is where you come in. I need you and Veronica to deal with him." He said and Archie's eyebrows raised.

"You want Veronica to kill her own father?" He asked. "I can't let her do that, she'd never forgive herself."

"I don't want you to kill him, I want you to frame him. We need someone to take the fall for the deaths of the Gargoyles we've already dispatched and Penny, and we need him off the chess board." He said.

"I don't know if it'll work Jug. Even if we plant evidence, it'll all be circumstantial, it won't stick in court. He has amazing lawyers, they'll get him off." Archie said and Jughead knew he was right but he felt an idea forming in the back of his mind and he smirked at Archie.

"Maybe the circumstantial stuff won't stick but what if someone were to see him commit the crimes. Betty and Veronica would both be able to testify against him, saying he kidnapped them and killed the Gargoyles and Penny. After all the best lies have a grain of truth to them." He said and Archie nodded.

"Alright boss, we're on it. I'll send a message setting up the meeting." Sweet Pea said standing from his chair and leaving the room. Jughead glanced at the other two.

"You guys clear on your tasks?" He asked. They nodded and he stood form the table to leave but Archie called him back.

"I notice you didn't mention Betty's name in the plans." He said and raised an eyebrow. "You know she'll be pissed when she finds out."

"She's hurt." He said. "She'll deal with it."

He left the room and he knew that Archie was right about her being pissed but he wasn't going to risk her so soon after he got her back. She would stay mad at him for a few days but he knew that eventually she'd get over it and see his point so he wasn't to worried about excluding her from the plans. She was technically involved because of the need for her to testify alongside Veronica but that was the least dangerous part of the plan so he was okay with it. 

He made his way across the compound and to their shared room to grab an outfit for Betty to wear when she was released seeing as her other outfit was covered in blood and had been cut off of her when they first got to the hospital. He quickly grabbed a pair of pants and a t-shirt from her drawer along with some underwear and over-sized sweater before throwing it all into a bag and making his way back out of the compound and to the hospital. He didn't want to leave her alone for too long when she wasn't in the safety of the compound and he knew that she wasn't technically alone at the hospital because the girls were with her but he was a little paranoid so he got back to the hospital quickly.

As he approached the door to her room he could hear their voices floating out of it. He gently pushed the door open gaining the attention of all of them, each one reacting defensively and crowding around Betty in a protective way before they registered that it was just him returning. Betty smiled at him and the girls relaxed marginally as he approached the bed and Toni stepped to the side allowing him to sit on the edge and greet Betty with a soft kiss.

"You weren't gone very long." She commented and he gave her a soft smile.

"I told you I just needed to talk to the boys." He said softly before lifting the bag in his hand and setting it on the bedside table. "Plus, I picked up an outfit for you."

"Thank you." She said before bringing him down for another kiss. He turned so that his body was facing out toward the room and leaned back next to her, prompting her to lean into him as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and she snuggled into his side. He laid a kiss on the top of her head as he observed the girls crowded around the bottom of the bed.

"How are you guys? Injuries doing okay?" He asked and they nodded. He glanced at Toni. "Yours was the worst, are you sure you're good?"

"I'm okay. Got some pain meds, so it doesn't even hurt." She said and he nodded.

"Good. In that case, I need the three of you to get back to the compound and help Fangs and Sweet Pea, they'll explain everything to you. V, you go to Archie." He said and they nodded. Cheryl and Toni left immediately but Veronica lingered and came over to the edge of the bed.

"You gonna be okay B?" She asked and Betty nodded at her.

"I'm okay V, really." She said and Veronica leaned over to give her a hug. Jughead shifted slightly to give them room until Veronica pulled back and followed Cheryl and Toni out the door. Betty sat back and looked up to meet his eyes.

"You're not planning to do something stupid are you?" She asked and Jughead sighed. He wasn't about to tell her what was actually happening because he knew she would insist on helping.

"You don't need to worry about it right now, you just need to focus on getting better." He said. She raised an eyebrow.

"I don't need to worry about it?" She asked and he met her eyes.

"You trust me right?" He asked softly and she nodded. "Then trust me now, I've got everything under control. You shouldn't worry."

She didn't comment and instead laid her head on his shoulder which he took to mean that she wasn't going to question him further on the plan right now. He knew that she wouldn't let it go forever but he took the win as it came. He would do anything to keep her safe, especially after he felt what it was like to lose her, even if he had to push her to the sideline. He never wanted to go through losing her again.


	19. Chapter 19

it had been a whole week since Betty had been released from the hospital and ushered straight to the compound and into their room to lay down. She was a little annoyed that everyone was treating her like an invalid but she didn't fuss too much because she knew that they were only trying to look out for her and they meant well. She was resting against a pile of pillows and had a book spread out on her legs but she was quickly growing bored with it. Everyone had been popping in and whispering things to Jughead while tossing looks at her before disappearing as quickly as they came and she was very suspicious of what they were doing but she had been secluded in this room since she got home.

She decided she was done sitting around and if she was going to figure anything out then she'd have to get out of this bed and chase down the answers herself so she threw the blankets off her legs and set the book on the bedside table before she stood from the bed. Her abdomen was still a little tender and sore but it was mostly okay if she took her pain meds as directed and it was healing quickly so she ignored the small twinge of pain as her stretching pulled at the stitches. She slipped on her shoes and left the room for the first time in a week. The compound seemed eerily quiet as she made her way to the communal kitchen to get a cup of coffee before she continued on.

She heard voices carrying from the meeting room and she shoved the door open. Everyone spun to look at her in unison and she raised an eyebrow at them, Jughead standing directly in the middle. He folded up the paper on the desk and everyone dispersed quickly, giving her simple greetings as they passed her in the doorway. When only she and Jughead remained in the room she closed the door behind her and leaned on it preventing him from leaving as she looked at him pointedly.

"What was that about?" She asked and he cleared his throat while rubbing the back of his neck.

"What do you mean?" He asked and she rolled her eyes as she scoffed.

"I enter the room and they disappear like smoke, barely even glancing at me. As if they're guilty of something." She said pointedly.

"It's nothing Betts, work stuff." He said and she raised an eyebrow.

"Work stuff?" She said incredulously. "Since when do you do things behind my back? I thought you trusted me."

"I do trust you Betty." He said taking a step toward her but her glare stopped him in his tracks.

"Then why are you lying to me?" She snapped. He sighed as he sat the rolled up paper in his hand on the table.

"I've got a plan to get rid of Penny and they're all going to help me." He said simply.

"Why didn't you tell me?" She asked and he looked up to meet her eyes.

"Because I didn't want you involved." He said softly. She crossed her arms.

"Why? Thought I'd ruin it?" She asked and he moved toward her suddenly. She pushed herself back into the door as he cradled her face in his hands.

"You know it's not that Betty." He said and kissed her lightly before he moved back from her to look in her eyes. "When you were missing, I felt like I was dying. The thought of never seeing you again....it was unbearable. I cannot lose you again, I wouldn't survive it."

"I'm right here Jug. I'm not going anywhere." She said softly drawing him back in for another kiss. He tangled his hand into her hair and deepened the kiss as she pushed her body into his. She felt starved for his touch as he moved away from her mouth and began sucking on the sensitive skin at the base of her neck where her shoulder began. She made a soft sound as tingles ran down her spine and straight to her core, and she arched her body into his in encouragement. He pulled away suddenly and she made a sound of protest as she tried to pull him in again but he resisted and gave her a soft smile.

"You're still hurt, I don't want to make it worse." He said gently and she huffed unhappily casing him to laugh lightly. "When you're better I'll let you do whatever you want with my body, for as long as you want."

"I'll hold you to that." She said and he smiled before he turned to grab the paper he had left on the table.

"I'll keep you updated from now on, but you're still not helping." He said and she crossed her arms.

"Who said you get to make that decision?" She asked and he raised an eyebrow.

"I'm the Serpent King." He said and she raised an eye brow right back.

"I'm the Queen." She countered and he let out a frustrated sigh.

"Can you please sit this one out, for me?" He asked and she took in his expression. He was serious and pleading and she sighed.

"Fine, but you will tell me everything." She said and he nodded.

"Okay."

* * *

After he had explained the plan to her she called him reckless and stubborn and a few other adjectives thrown in before she calmed down. When she truly thought about it it, was a good plan but she was still irritated that he was going to take such a big risk and meet with Penny in person where he could definitely get hurt but the plan made sense. Even if she had hated the plan she couldn't have stopped it seeing as it had already been set in motion with Veronica and Archie already carrying out their part.

She had learned from Jughead that Veronica had contacted her mother who wanted Hiram to go down as much as she did, and she allowed them into the penthouse and other locations while Hiram was being treated at the hospital. Betty had apparently dislocated his elbow and given him a concussion which she was mildly proud of. They had gathered evidence to incriminate him, leaving items that could be traced back to the Gargoyles in various locations and making sure to wipe them free of any fingerprints.

Veronica was sure that he had documentation of his payments to the Gargoyles for bounties against them so it would be an easy leap for the cops that he would take them out after they carried out the hits so that they couldn't come back and use the information against him. It was actually brilliant and Betty had to admit that Jughead was very smart in his endeavours. After they were finished with Penny, an anonymous call would be made to the FBI about Hiram Lodge and his house of cards would quickly come falling down. Betty and Veronica testifying against him in a case of kidnapping and assault would be the nail in the coffin.

The meeting with Penny was set for tomorrow night and Betty knew she wouldn't get any sleep as she waited for Jughead and he friends return, but if they succeeded in this plan then they wouldn't have to worry about the Gargoyles or the bounty anymore. They'd be free to leave the compound without fear of being shot at so she was hoping and praying that it would go off without a hitch.

 


	20. Chapter 20

Jughead kissed Betty deeply before leaving her in their room and joining the group out in the garage. They made it to the meeting place before anyone else intentionally and his friends slipped into the shadows quickly and quietly to take care of the lookouts that Penny was sure to bring with her. Jughead stayed standing in the middle of the room surrounded by empty boxes, this place had once been a corporate office but had sense been abandoned, but still had desks and other things strewn throughout it. He was standing there for about thirty minutes before he heard the door creak open and Penny stepped into the light.

"Long time, no see Jonesy." She said and he rolled his eyes.

"I called you here to make a deal, not to catch up Penny." He snapped an she laughed.

"You honestly think I believe you want to make a deal? We took your precious girlfriend, you want to kill me." She said and he sighed. He had know she wasn't going to believe him but he had to stall and give his people time to complete their task.

"I have her back now, and she convinced me to make a deal, so here I am." He said. Penny raised an eyebrow.

"Pony tail wanted to make a deal? Why isn't she here then?" She asked.

"She's still recovering from her injuries." He answered.

"Tell me Jones, why would your girlfriend make a deal with me when I told my men that they could do what they wanted with her as long as she was dead at the end and I could collect the bounty?" She asked and started moving around the room. He made sure to keep his eyes on her and his back away from her, so they ended up circling one another.

"What are you talking about?" He snapped and she smirked.

"I sent a couple of my men in when we had her and her friend captive. I told them they could have their way with her if they wanted to, didn't she tell you?" She asked and he glared at her. His thoughts were racing trying to remember if Betty had shown any signs that she had been hurt in that way. He could see that Penny was enjoying herself for putting the thoughts in his head and he was pissed, because if Betty had been hurt then it was partially her fault. 

"You didn't come here to make a deal, you came to gloat." He said and she laughed.

"I wouldn't make a deal with you even if I trusted you, Hiram Lodge pays a pretty penny to the Gargoyles if we just carry out some unpleasant deeds for him." She said and Jughead rolled his eyes.

"He'll get rid of you the moment he decides he doesn't need you anymore." He said and she shrugged.

"By the time that comes around I'll have made enough money from him to disappear with." She said and Jughead scoffed.

"And you think he won't find you? He's got people everywhere and he's ruthless, he won't just forget about you. He will hunt you to the ends of the earth, you know too much." He said.

"And yet you want me to make a deal with you, when you're the one he wants dead in the first place?" She asked and Jughead shrugged. He caught a glimpse of Cheryl in the rafters and he knew that she was getting in position so they must have finished their task already, it surprised him that they had done it so quickly but he jumped right into his part of the plan as he looked at Penny standing in front of him.

"You were right, I was never going to make a deal with you, I just needed you out of your stronghold and you were stupid enough to come." He said and Penny smirked.

"You don't think I came alone do you?' She asked adn he laughed quietly as he stalked toward her.

"I didn't come alone either, and my friends have already taken care of it. It's just you and me now." He said and Penny took a step back away from him as she glanced around. He saw the moment she realized he was telling the truth when no one came to her rescue and fear entered her eyes. He saw her reach for the gun he knew she had in her inner pants holster but the arrow whistled through the air and pierced through her shoulder and stopping the movement as she stared down at it seemingly in shock and Jughead moved to knock her off her feet and onto the ground. The arrow was shoved further through her shoulder as she landed on her back and she finally began screaming. 

"Please! I'll leave the city, I'll never come back, just let me go." She pleaded and Jughead stood over her with a smirk on his lips as he shook his head.

"I don;t think so Penny. I may have let you live before but you crossed a line when you took Betty, that's something I can;t forgive. As you told me yourself you told your men to do what they wanted to her, she was hurt and it's your fault. I can't let you walk away now." He said and Penny stared up at him as he drew his gun and aimed it straight between her eyes.

"Please! I'll do anything. Ple-" The gunshot cut her off and blood started pooling around her head rapidly. He was quickly joined by the others and he pulled a card out of his pocket with gloves and slid it into her jacket pocket before they got to work moving her body. She was loaded into the trunk of a car in a dark alley and driven to a bridge in the middle of the city. They quickly stuffed her into a bag and weighed it down with rocks but made sure that it wasn't weighted enough that she wouldn't be found. Veronica had given them the bag earlier in the day and it was embroderied with the initials H.L., which she had spent the afternoon shabbily removing to make it look like someone was trying to hide it, but left it prominent enough that there'd be no mistaking it.

They lifted the bag over the edge and dropped it before climbing back into the car and speeding away. Jughead took care to ditch the car at the Serpent owned chop shop before they made their way back home and he said goodbye to everyone in the garage where they had met earlier in the night. He quickly made his way across the compound and into his room where Betty was still sitting up with a book on her lap. She looked up as soon as he entered and was on her feet quickly.

"Thank God." She breathed out as she wrapped her arms around him and held him tight. He held her just as tight and took a moment to bury his face in her hair and take in her comforting scent before he pulled back and brought her to the bed with him and sat on the edge. She sat next to him and studied his face before speaking. "Are you okay?"

"Penny said something that got to me, I wanted to talk to you about it." He said quietly and she nodded and turned her body to face him fully.

"Okay, what's up?" She asked and he cradled her face in his hands as he took in her soft features.

"She told me that she sent men in when you and Veronica were there. She said that she told them to do what they wanted with you." He said softly and she pulled away from him and wrapped her arms around her knees. Her body language told him that something had happened to her and rage began building in his body but he pushed it aside for the moment so that he could focus on her. "Did something happen to you Betty?"

"I wasn't raped, of that's what your asking." She mumbled into her knees. He sighed and touched her knee lightly making her look up at him.

"But something happend?" He asked gently. She lowered her eyes from his and he sighed and scooted closer to her. "You can talk to me Betty, it's okay."

"One of them touched me." She said softly. "I didn't want him to, I tried to stop him."

He heard the tears in her voice even if he couldn't see them. "This isn't your fault."

"I know that, but it doesn't make me feel any less violated." She snapped as she looked at him. He had been right about the tears and he touched her face gently as he wiped them away with his thumb.

"You're allowed to feel that way Betty, and if I ever do anything that makes you uncomfortable, you tell me and I'll stop." He said. She looked at him as she sniffled.

"You're not mad at me?" She asked. He shook his head as he studied her face.

"Why would I be mad at you?" He asked and she shrugged. He sighed and touched her shoulder. "Were you afraid of how I would react? Is that why you didn't tell me?" 

"I'm not afraid of you." She said and he nodded.

"Okay." He said simply and she sighed.

"I was ashamed, that I let it happen, that I couldn't stop it." She admitted and he moved to pull her arms away from her knees and straighten her legs so that he could pull her into his lap and wrap his arms around her comfortingly.

"You have noting to be ashamed of Betty. This wasn't your fault." He said softly and he could feel her shoulders shaking with silent cries and he held her tighter. "You're the strongest person I know. Don't let them take that away from you. Embrace it and show them that they can't control you, show them that your stronger than they are. You went thorough something they'd never be able too and you came out on the other side, stronger than before. Don't let them take you life away, show them that they can't make you weak."

"I love you." She said through her tears. He kissed the top of her head, keeping her in his embrace.

"I love you too."


	21. Chapter 21

It took one call to the FBI and just as predicted Hiram Lodge's house of cards came tumbling down. His properties and assets were sieged by the government for review and the evidence piled up against him, linking him to the deaths of over fourteen people and of course the kidnapping and assault of his own daughter and her best friend. When asked why they initially lied to the cops at the hospital when they were questioned Betty and Veronica played their parts well and insisted that they were afraid he would kill them if they said anything because he had killed three men right in front of them before the managed to escape. On further investigation of his dealings they uncovered the bounties for members of the Serpents and conspiracy to commit murder was added to the growing list of crimes brought against him. He was going to be in prison for the rest of his life leaving Hermione Lodge free to leave New York and go home to Riverdale.

After the events of the last few months Cheryl and Toni made the choice to retire from the Serpents and follow her back home. They bought a small house on the southside and after a whirlwind wedding at the courthouse began looking into adopting. They were trying to mend bridges with Cheryl's mother and were quite excited for the simplicity of small town life after all the excitement of New York and Toni began working as a freelance photographer while Cheryl taught archery to young kids. It took a year and a half before they got a call in the middle of the night about a set of twins that needed a loving home and the rushed to accept them into their family. The adoption went final six months later and Cheryl was determined to give her children a better life than the one she had growing up and raised them with constant love and encouragement.

The second ones to go were Veronica and Archie. She had been one of the last of their group to join the Serpents and while she loved them, she had wanted to leave because she feared that if she stayed she'd become like her father and she didn't want anything to do with him, prompting her to quickly change her name by way of marriage. Archie hadn't been entirely sure that getting married so quickly was a good idea but she batted her eyes at him and he had caved pretty quickly. She had been informed by her mother that she still had access to her trust fund because she had refused to let Hiram block it so she took the money and ran with it, literally. They group would receive constant pictures of them in various locations through out the world, at least until they seemingly settled in London when Veronica began working closely with a charity aimed at helping abused women and children. Archie had started writing music again and had even manged to get a small tour around the UK, so they were all proud of their friends accomplishments.

Betty and Jughead stayed with the Serpents for a few more years as their friends disbanded and began their own adventures outside the gang but the moment the test came up positive they realized that they didn't want to raise their child in the violent environment fostered by the gang. They stayed for a few months as Jughead groomed Sweet Pea to take his place, he had grown from the angry irrational teenager into a man who thought things through and refused to make rash decisions even when pushed to, so Jughead thought he was the perfect candidate. The day they packed up their room ad piled everything into the back of a truck, with their bikes strapped to a trailer at the back of it, it was a little bittersweet, but they said goodbye to their friends and started toward Riverdale. They bought the house next to Cheryl and Toni, that had recently gone on sale and moved in swiftly. Betty gave birth to a baby girl not long after and the Blossom-Topaz twins absolutely adored their baby cousin.

They all made a point to keep in touch with each other but it became more and more difficult with Archie and Veronica halfway across the world and they grew apart slowly, the calls slowing down until they stopped completely, which is why everyone was so surprised when they turned up on Betty and Jughead's doorstep and announced they were moving in down the street. Veronica began a wing of the charity she worked for in the middle of Riverdale and Archie put away his guitar to help Jughead out at the construction company he had taken over. When asked about his decision he said that he was done chasing his dreams, he had toured and it had been epic but now he just wanted a consistent job to take up his time. He and Veronica were the last to have children but when they did they had a beautiful baby boy.

They all worked hard and sometimes they didn't have a lot of money to spare but they had a lot of love to go around and they made sure that everyone was taken care of. They had built a family with one another that was stronger than most and they wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. For better or worse, it was theirs, a family the had each chosen to be apart of.


End file.
